Tag Archives: brighten up a log cabin

Lighting Up Your Log Home with Natural Light

We’re entering into the absolute best time of year; when the days are longer and it stays light until well past 8pm. The afternoon sun can be warm, but it also lights up your log home in a way that no table lamp could ever do. Through windows, sky lights and with the help of great rooms – the beauty of a log home can be found during the late afternoon when the sun hits the logs and your home is illuminated. Let’s check out some amazing summer sunlight log home photos to see what I mean.

Sky Light, Sky Bright

Log Home Dining Room | Log Home Sky Lights

The log home sun room above doubles as a dining room and uses a ton of afternoon sun to light the room. The three sky lights above the three double-hung windows showcase the view outside as well as light up the view on the inside of this beautiful home. The homeowners also made a great choice not to have grilles on any of the windows which makes for unobstructed views of the property outside.

Log Home Entertainment Room | Log Home Addition

The log home addition above was strictly for fun and games. The home owners wanted an entertainment room addition and in order to create natural light in an area with mid-level knee walls, sky lights were a fantastic option. With three sky lights on either side of the ridge line, the area feels balanced and well lit as the afternoon sun fills the room.

Gable End Sunlight

Log Home Great Room | Lighting in Your Log Home

The log home loft space above uses the gable end wall of windows to allow an abundance of natural light and creates terrific ambiance. The custom fixed glass windows make the room feel open while allowing those who sit in this amazing space to get a full view of the lush green property outside.

Log Home Great Room | Log Home Natural Light

Here is another gable end great room where the room is drenched with late afternoon light. You may have noticed that all of the windows in the log homes featured so far don’t have grilles. Not using grilles on your windows can be less costly when building your log home and it may also help to display the beautiful views outside. Just outside the doors of the great room above, there’s a large deck overlooking quite the landscape!

Do you have any questions or comments about anything you’ve seen featured on Real Log Style? Leave a comment here, email us at info@realloghomes.com, call us directly at 800-REAL LOG (732-5564) or write to us on Facebook. Have a great weekend everyone!

Circle 9 Ranch: A Real Log Home Texas Retreat

When I say Texas ranch – you probably think of cattle roaming on open plains, amber grain blowing in the summer breeze and of course, cowboys . This week’s featured Real Log Home is a beautiful country retreat nestled in the heart of Texas. It’s a true southern ranch, named Circle 9, that boasts classic country style with quintessential log home charm.

Real Log Home Texas RanchThe Property

Circle 9 Ranch sits on 47 beautiful acres in Texas. The property has unique ancient oak trees and pecan orchards; the home owners built the retreat as their dream retirement home and as the saying goes, dreams really do come true!

The driveway entrance shown at right shows the expansive farmers porch that welcomes as you turn off the dirt road onto the property.

A Texas Welcome

Log Home Porch

After you park your car (or horse) step right up onto the porch where, if you’re lucky, an ice cold sweet tea awaits you. The porch faces the south towards the driveway and as you relax, gaze up to see the handiwork of the rounded contour half logs on the ceiling above you.

Stunning Interior

Real Log Home Texas Ranch

The scope of the great room from this vantage point demonstrates that this is not your run-of-the-mill log home. Circle 9 Ranch is a real treat for those who love interior designing and also, those who admire a log homes’ natural beauty.

The arched doorway as you enter helps illustrate the custom log craftsmanship found in this home. An open floor plan, like the one shown in the photo, above allows family and friends in different rooms to be unhindered by walls. Open plans create multiple rooms out of one big room – so the conversation and space never ends. The full round stairs balusters and railings with half log steps are wonderful to see with the stone back drop. I always love seeing a log home play off of different materials – in this case it’s stone and wood.

Real Log Home Interior Windows

The log home photo above shows the great room, but from this angle, our backs are to the entry way. The wall of windows show off the beauty of a Texas sunset while the home is beaming from the finish on the interior log walls. From a construction standpoint, you can see the log frame clearly in this photo and the soaring ceiling heights make the room feel grand, yet cozy. The plush leather sofas mixed in with hardwood coffee table in a different finish are the best combination to bring warmth to such a large, open space.

Log Home Bathroom

As we continue our tour inside the ranch, we find ourselves in an enviable lavatory. It’s easy to forget that this is an important space that needs the right TLC – pedestal sink, perfect wall paper and well suited decorations. I love the plaid custom twig chair and wooden medicine cabinet the home owners placed here.

Log Home Exterior

Our final view of Circle 9 Ranch is taken from outside in the pasture. From this view, we’re able to see the expansive home in all of its glory. I can’t think of a better way to end a day than an absolutely majestic Texas sunset adorning a Real Log Home!

Do you have any questions or comments about Circle 9 Ranch or building a log home of your own? Call us directly at 800- REAL LOG (732-5564), email us info@realloghomes.com or ask us on our Facebook page!

Making a Colorful Statement in Your Log Home

Using color in your log home sounds simple – of course there’s color in your home – but it’s how you use color that will really enhance the beauty already found there. There are a multitude of ways to exemplify the natural beauty of your log home by using color in thoughtful and specific ways. From kitchen cabinets to accent walls, lets uncover some great ways to add more color in your world!

Pop of Color

It’s a phrase I keep hearing related to design and aesthetic. The rustic Real Log Home bathroom (below) allows the beauty of the wood to do much of the work here. The indigo blue accessories and counter vase add wonderful pops of color against the log wall, antique finished cabinets and claw foot tub.

Accent Walls

Accent walls can create the illusion of space by drawing your eye to the point of color. In the Real Log Home hallway shown below, the home owner chose a cheerful green to display at the end of the balcony. The effect creates depth and interest and helps to display the beautiful custom Adirondack-style railings.

Bold Patterns

When you think of color in your home, you can’t overlook how much life a great pattern can add to a room. In the photo below, we actually have dual patterns working together to create a visual masterpiece! The boldness of the rug paired with the patterned wallpaper makes this dining area a joy to walk in to.

We can’t forget about bedrooms when it comes to adding color! I love the patchwork patterned comforter and window treatments here.

Colorful Kitchens

The log home kitchen (below) demonstrates that you can use your decorations to add splashes of color in your beautiful kitchen. I love the way this kitchen plays up all things blue! The candlesticks, tiled floor and framed photograph adds an array of different shades, shapes and styles.

The log home kitchen below is one of my absolute favorites! There’s something about red stained cabinets that really take this kitchen to a whole new level of fun! I love the way the color offsets the wood and allows the sun to do its job by enhancing the beautiful cabinets.

We hope we’ve helped to inspire some colorful choices in your log home! If you have questions about any of the log homes featured here, contact us at directly at info@realloghomes.com, call us 800- REAL LOG (732-5564) or ask us on our Facebook page!

Lighten up your log home

We hear it all the time, “Log homes are dark…” Maybe once upon a time they were, but with the great new energy-efficient windows available, log home customers are bringing in more and more light.  And one of our favorite trends is the use of uniquely grand lighting fixtures.  These aren’t your grandma’s crystal chandeliers.  Today’s homeowners are using an eclectic mix of metal and fabric to lighten up their homes:

Dining Table LightingWe love how this open space is better defined by hanging this gorgeous chandelier not in the center of the room, but offset to give more definition and focus to the dining space.

Chandelier of AntlersOf course, the use of antlers continues to be an ever popular design aesthetic.  We see antlers used a lot, especially in Western style log homes and log homes with a rustic feel.

Log Great Room Metal ChandelierWhen you’ve got a truly great space to fill, sometimes a truly great piece is what you need.  This customer had this metal chandelier custom designed to fit their space and it really helps to provide a feeling of scale to this log home great room.