September makes my mind wander. Sometimes I dream about the vibrant, richly hued foliage soon to arrive here in New England, kayak excursions during sunset on the lake and walks in the woods with the sound of newly fallen leaves crackling beneath my feet. Oh yeah, baby!
Back to reality. Mostly, I’m spending my time in the kitchen making soups, taking advantage of the Fall harvest of apples and figs, or thinking that now is the time to get to some of the projects we’ve been talking about but it’s just been too darn hot to execute.
Here’s where you come in my friends. I would love some ideas. You are, after all, a creative bunch, and some of the projects on my list I’m not confident about. Let’s start with the scariest (at least for me!).
You probably already know that we live in a log cabin, and it’s what is known as a ‘full-round’ log home, which means the walls on the interior are the same as the exterior, that is, round. (Some log cabins have flat walls on the inside, otherwise known as ‘D’ logs, which makes it easier to hang items on the walls.) As you can imagine, curved logs would make it impossible to hang cabinets, so the previous owners installed a ‘wall’ of pine in the kitchen, and in the back end of the house which was an add-on and unfortunately not constructed as a log home, but I digress. That’s the wall on the right where the kitchen sink is located. You can see where it ends next to the plate rack on the right.
I’m sure the first thing you noticed is that everything is brown. The ceiling, the walls, the cabinets and the flooring. So…I’m thinking about painting that pine wall a creamy white. Just up to the part where the black lighting is located, NOT the actual logs above. Maybe something similar to the white on the plates in the rack, like ‘Old White‘ chalk paint, or ‘Linen’ or ‘Ironstone‘ milk paint. I’ve used those colors in the past, and in addition to liking them, I appreciate the fact that they’re not shiny. We’re going for a more rustic, flat look here. Maybe even slightly distressed. Nothing too jarring or bright, and yes, in case you’re wondering about grease, I would definitely coat it with a few coats of flat poly or wax of some kind.
Fisherman is a bit reluctant, and suggested maybe painting every other plank (which I’m thinking would either be really interesting or a whole lotta ugly…but we could always paint in the others if we don’t like it), or painting just to the top of the windows. Again, not so sure but we could always continue on up if it looks odd.
Here’s the adjacent wall, which I am thinking we’ll leave alone, but again, not so sure yet. It’s a little tricky to reach this area, and once we do this, there’s no turning back, so I am being very cautious!
Let’s turn our attention to the outside. Since moving here full-time over two years ago, we’ve done a fair amount of work in the front and a little in the back of the house. We’ve installed a fire pit, added a small rock wall in the front of the house, had some stone steps put in a few weeks ago, and added lots of perennials, fresh gravel and overall completed some cute projects which you can see here and here. I have to say it makes me happy to look at the fruits of our labor, but now we need to give the side of the house a little luv.
Since the fire pit required the delivery of gravel, a backhoe needed to run over our side yard and reduced it to nothing but dirt. It wasn’t exactly magazine ready to begin with, but this is what we were faced with for a while. Obviously this picture was taken before the trees filled in. I think it must have been early April. (BTW, the cart was there being prepped for some paint. It now lives on our deck.)
Here’s a more recent view from the bottom of our driveway.
A couple of weeks ago we had some topsoil delivered and leveled, to help with water drainage and aesthetics. The area is now seeded and I’m happy to say the turkeys (there are TONS this year) and birds are leaving the seeds alone and it’s all coming up nicely.
Here’s what I’m thinking…
We never liked the fact that the previous owner installed vinyl windows that are white. While I love white windows on most houses, I just think they stand out too much against the wood. I did some research and found out that yes, you can paint vinyl, but it’s not an easy task. Nevertheless, it’s on my wish list.
Moving on to the dark green wall. Let’s just say I’m not a fan. I’m thinking about putting some Airstoneβ’ on this wall. If you don’t know what that is, scroll up and look at my kitchen island or click on the link for more info. Fisherman isn’t diggin’ the idea, but at the very least, the green needs to go! What would you do? Paint? What color?
The other projects are not up for debate. A small rock wall on the side of the house would be a nice spot for a kitchen herb garden, and relatively easy to do. The area near the trees on the side will be filled in with some shade loving perennials, hopefully some that can bring a bit of color to this otherwise dark spot.
We dug up and moved some rocks, and I thought a rock garden would be nice. I’ve never installed one, so if you have any ideas or tips I’d love to hear them!
The area at the bottom of the side of the house, close to the fire pit, is where I was thinking about adding a fountain feature, but Fisherman nixed the idea. It would be a lot of work, and I have to admit, we probably wouldn’t get to enjoy it due to its location as much as we’d like. I thought about a solar fountain, but I’m not sure there’s enough sun there. Any creative ideas?
Next up in the eye sore department is this spot located on the other side of the house, near the backyard.
We stored some firewood there between the trees which have been relocated to under the deck stairs, and I’m thinking that after a good clean up it would be a nice spot for a hammock or two :).
The ‘to-do’ list seems to get longer and longer, while the days get shorter and shorter. Better get on it!
In other news…
I planted another round of seeds a couple of weeks ago of mesclun and spinach. The mesclun sprouted in two days, and the spinach wasn’t far behind!
I’ve learned a lot this first year of planting seeds. No more peas for me for starters. The plants are huge, but I’m not seeing any pods. Cucumbers are space hogs and I’m loving the cukes we’ve been getting from our friends a lot more, and I don’t think I’ll be planting tomatoes any longer. I’d rather just buy them. Basically, I’m going to concentrate on lettuce, herbs, carrots, chard and maybe beets.
My friend asked me to make a cement leaf for her, and I decided to use up the play sand and create more molds of varying sizes. Much more efficient than doing one at a time, since you have to wait at least 2-3 days to unmold them. I put these together on Wednesday and unmolded them today and they look great!
How’s the weather in your neck of the woods? It’s been lovely here, but this weekend will be hot and humid once again. Are you getting ready for Fall? I’ve been slowly taking out some Fall things, adding some throws, warmer hued pillows and drapes and such, but generally speaking I’m not a huge seasonal decorator. I’ll show you what I’ve done so far next time…
tammy j says
I so love your cabin. i’d probably be tempted to simply leave it as is.
but I know living full time with wood can sort of be like rich chooclate cake sometimes. bob and I had a home in Tulsa like that once.
everybody walking in exclaimed “oh I just LOVE this!” but after a few years…
a thought crossed my mind that you might try. it sounds a little silly. but it would give you ‘the effect of the white’ without painting it…
just to see if you were going to like it.
you could buy a small roll of butcher paper and roughly cut it to match the areas you would be painting and tape it on. then live with it for a while and see how you’d like seeing that much white.
and the color of white you’re thinking of sounds simply LOVELY!
and…
p.s.
do you ever just sit down and read? LOLOL!!! XOβ₯
Jan Kibbe says
Hi Doreen,
We enjoyed you thinking out loud about the painting in the kitchen. Mark suggested pickling the pine wall. It would be whitish but you would still see the grain and knots in the wood. A piano teacher our kids had many years ago had a post and beam studio that was breathtaking!
Will we see you camping next weekend?
Jan and Mark
Kris @ Junk Chic Cottage says
Wow Doreen this kitchen is beautiful as is and gives the log cabin charm. I understand you wanting some kind of definition between the cabinets and wall. Maybe like Jan above said pickling the pine would give it some contrast without losing the feel of the wood. You know me I paint everything white so I think it done in an off white or some kind of white with a hint of gray or cream in the white would work too. Go with your gut on this one. Maybe do a small section and see if you like it. Your home is so gorgeous. Love the rustic feel of a log cabin.
Have a great week end.
Kris
Jane says
Your kitchen is gorgeous, Doreen!! Love all the cabinets and the island, Did I miss a tour?
Know how you feel about all of the wood. The ceiling at the lakehouse peaks at 19 feet and it’s all pine, the same tone as yours. Then we had hardwood floors put in a few years ago and they were stained almost the same color. After our disaster I chose dark stain for the floors and we love it. So I know how you’re feeling about contrast. All of the other gals have given great ideas for a trial period. The only bit I have to add is I used a very creamy white in many of my rooms called Alabaster by SW. It has no under tones so it is very true pure creaminess. π
You’ve done a great job outdoors. I have a lot of shade so I plant hostas, ferns and ajuga and they just flourish on their own. I love the idea of a rock wall! The last thing, for what it’s worth, you mentioned you moved your firewood to under your deck. Beware of termites. They can eat your house!
Jane
Mary-the boondocks blog says
Doreen, I can definitely see painting that wall a nice warm white. It will certainly break up the look of the wood a bit and define the kitchen area a little more. And I would also suggest adding something like the stone you mentioned to the green wall. As for the rest, I cannot say as I’m terrible at gardening but you know what you’re doing that is certain.
Amy says
I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, since I never seem to cross anything off of my project list, I just add to it, lol! I say thumbs up to the cream wall in the kitchen up to the top, not just the top of the windows. Not that it isn’t gorgeous the way it is, but I get that you want to “un-brown” it. I thought at first you were going to paint the cabinets, but I love the idea of the lighter wall. I think I’d do both walls. Thumbs up for the air stone wall (hmmm…may have to think about that for my fireplace), herb garden, rock garden, shade garden, painted vinyl windows, hammock. Love the idea of the fountain, but I’m coming up empty on other ideas. It’s hot as heck here, too. Yet, I’m not quite ready for fall. Still in denial that summer’s ending.
Marilyn @ Pink Paper Cottage says
Love seeing the inside of your “cabin”….. I would go with the creamy pine walls in both places… and do a very light stroke on them so you do see a little of the wood grain.. kind of a “white wash”.. I think a creamy color would look great on both walls and up to the lights.. no stripes please! π That “air stone” would look awesome on your outside green wall… I think it would be great there. I have my first little rock garden around a dead tree in our front yard! It was there when we moved in.. they had just stacked up a bunch of rocks around the tree trunk and they were kind of willy nilly.. I moved them around so there is more area for dirt and stacked a few on the outside edge and moved a few… and I love how my “rock garden” is turning out. I’ve planted some vines that will spread and some pansies in the little nitches. I think you would love a rock garden… I would plant something on the top as your focal point and then keep stacking rocks and leaving little areas of dirt. I want to put some ground cover type plants in some spots, that flowers all summer. We just stuck a holly hock in one spot and hubby wants another one. It’s fun playing with it.
Hum.m.m white windows on your house.. I kind of like them.. looks clean and nice… I would probably leave them as not into a hard job such as painting vinyl! Now if someone else would do it for me? then I might say go with a darker creamy almost beige color, or dark chocolate brown.
Your to do projects are like mine.. I have to keep adding to my list! I cross one thing off and add 3 more. Oh.. and a fountain/water feature.. of course I would say YES! I think solar would work even with lots of shade.. you can get a water fountain that is all self-contained and circulates the water.. don’t need to have a pond under it… look online and check out HSN or QVC (shopping networks). They’ve had some really neat solar fountains.. you just plunk it down and no need for cords or wiring.
Good luck!
Judy says
Hi Doreen. You have a beautiful home. I love all the warm woods and in your location it is so perfect. I can understand wanting a small change and think the warm whites would be striking in the kitchen. You certainly have a wonderful canvas to work from no matter which way you decide. I peeked back awhile and saw your diy about envelope pillows. I’m going to JoAnn’s soon and will pick some fall fabric and try it. I have made some in the past but you way seems to be easier than how I did it..Happy Sunday..Judy
Pattie @ Olla-Podrida says
What a relief it is to know that I am not the only one with a project wish list. Truth be told, I actually have a project spiral notebook! π Great post.
Cecilia says
Doreen, I get the whole everything is brown – when we bought the farmhouse the floor was brown tile, the cabinets were brown, the paneling was brown – I’d paint the wall in your kitchen if it were me to break up the brown. Then you can decide if you want to do the other wall.) I used Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee in my kitchen. It’s a nice creamy white.) I mean, I like the log cabin look but since the kitchen has a flat wall, why not go ahead and paint it? I’ve never regretted painting mine. Start small, go from there. Love the idea of the air stone on the green outer wall. And I like all your ideas for the yard.
Ha, my to do list is just as long and added to all the time. And now with a wedding being planned there, we’ve got to get things done! Yikes. But a good yikes. π
It’s still hot here but yesterday morning , it was actually crisp with a chill in the air. Hurray! Ready for the heat to go away for awhile. Have fun with your projects and enjoy the Fall!
Hugs,
Cecilia
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
I wasn’t sure what to think about painting that wood, as in how porous is it, how many coats would you need, etc. I see in the comments that there are some pickling suggestions…that might be the answer. It’s lovely as is to me though! π
Kim says
Wow, Doreen, just wow. I am a rustic loving girl and your cabin is stunning. I don’t think I have ever really seen your kitchen before. Your house looks like a dreamy place to spend fall and winter, the holidays, all curled up in that cozy log home. I’m coming over!! π
kelly says
I like a lot of your plans for your home. I often forget that you live in a log cabin. I bet that feels so cozy during the cooler months.
Emily says
Hi Doreen, wow, you have been a busy girl and your “to do” list is really long. I love your cabin, just love it! I think the kitchen is great the way it is but I get it how you tire of everything the same color. The reason I did a facelift in mine was because everything was the same color. If you do make a change, I like your idea of painting up to the round logs. I see pickling was suggested, that would give you the lighter look you want with out a total change to paint. Outside is where I would paint the green to blend in with the darker colors. Love the idea of a hammock. Your home is gorgeous……..
Cindy says
Boy Doreen, you have some list, when will you sleep? I can’t wait to see what you decide with the kitchen. I think adding some chalk paint would be great. Love your vision.
I could imagine lazy days laying in a hammock in your gorgeous yard. However, I have never had any luck getting in t hem, LOL. Nothing to do with MS, just a spaz.
Yo u made many different molds. It seems you found an enjoyable creative outlet there.
Cindy
AnnMarie says
I love the idea of adding white to the kitchen but very muted. Maybe a white wash so the wood still shines through. I would continue it around to the other wall too. I am not a fan of the one different color wall in a room! I am not good at landscaping but I would paint that green wall immediately and then decide about the Air stone! The stone may be too much texture next to the logs but a nice muted color there would look nice.
I need to paint my side steps and porch floor and I can’t use the weather as an excuse not to do it anymore. It has been gorgeous here!
Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse says
I think painting the kitchen wall a muted white is a good idea. It would help visualise the difference between this wall and the real log wall and draw the attention to that beautiful log wall, because this room is really amazing.
Marsha says
Hi Doreen,
I wanted to write sooner, but I am having problems with both my computer and cell phone. I love your log home. Being a log home owner myself, I can identify with you regarding the challenges. All of our walls on the exterior/interior of the home are logs, but the walls dividing our rooms on the interior of the home are all dry wall, except for one wall in the dining room, which is log. The kitchen dividing the dining room and kitchen is half tiled, dry wall (which include the cabinets) and, of course, wall paper border of moose, elk and deer. (The previous owner added the wallpaper border and we decided to keep it.) Anyway, I can send you a picture of the interior kitchen wall, if you wish, to get an idea of what an interior painted wall would look like for your kitchen. Our wall is painted in the egg-shell white. I know dry wall is different than the painted wood, but it could give you some help in your decision. Let me know and I would be happy to share some pictures. Best wishes on all of your projects. Your cozy cabin is beautiful!
Cindi says
I’m SO LATE getting here!
I apology.
I LOVE your home and after reading the above comments, I really have nothing to add. They all have great ideas and I of course love the idea of some white!
XOXOXOXOXO
Carla TePaske says
Hi,
Thank you for visiting The River. I am following you on IG … I am skigrilcarla
I am a rustic kind of girl … so let me tell ya … I love this!!!