As the temperatures start to rise in the Midwest and winter finally starts to release its tight grip, people start dreaming of being at their cabins. But with the current pandemic and stay at home orders it’s not possible right now to travel. So why not use this time to start planning a cabin makeover for when you can finally get back to that little piece of heaven on the lake?

Living in Minnesota, the vacation rental market is all about cabins, lots of them! Something I’ve come to realize is that to be a true Minnesotan, you have to vacation in a cabin ‘up North’ at some point during the year. Before the pandemic happened, my husband and I and our two dogs went to stay in Biwabik, Minnesota at the Giants Ridge Ski Resort in one of the lakeside cabins. I soon began to understand why this type of vacation is so popular.

The purpose of our trip was actually to purchase one of these cabins as an investment property, but after a lot of back and forth we concluded it wasn’t going to be a good deal for us. But it did get me thinking about design…

So many of the cabins I’ve seen are of the traditional style – log walls or golden timber cladding, plaid, a moose picture somewhere, or maybe even a bear, giant stone fireplaces and furniture made out of logs. It’s certainly cozy, and don’t get me wrong I do like it, but what about the alternatives?

I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to shopping for houses. I’ve already decorated the bathrooms, and laid out the soaps in my head before I’ve even made an offer! This was no different. I started to research ‘modern cabins’ online and found my new favorite style. Here’s a collection of my favorite.

Like this simple, cozy and elegant bathroom by Baucos Group.

Or this amazing modern kitchen by PurParket Inc.

Or this kitchen design by CLB Architects. I love that they’ve transformed the chunky traditional log cabin walls just by painting them white.

I love the juxtaposition of the modern clean lines against the traditional log cabin wall here in this design by Haus.

Or this cozy little reading nook by Fernau and Hartman. They’ve kept the warm golden wood cladding but styled it in a more modern feel.

This bathroom by First Lamp Architects is a beautiful balance of warm wood and clean modern whites.

This design by Marcusse Construction is a little more transitional with the shaker style kitchen cabinets, but definitely has the muted pallet and warm Scandinavian vibe.

A beautiful entrance way by DeForest Architects. I love how everything is so simple and clean, except for the beautiful piece of old gnarly wood they’ve used on the wall as decoration.

The Scandanavian style can even translate to the staircase. I love this design by Texas Construction Company.

And don’t forget about the exterior. This bold barn style cabin in black by Alchemy Architects is just about as perfect as it gets.

So which do you prefer? Are you a traditional log cabin lover? Or do you prefer the clean lines of the modern Scandinavian style cabins? I hope this post has inspired you to re-think the traditional cabin look just a little bit. To see the possibilities of what else they could be.

Thanks for reading.

Jo @Britflipper