Our Pendleton Covered Buck has Arrived (& Big Changes We’re making to the Interior of the A-frame)
December 5, 2018
A couple weeks ago, our custom deer from Faraway Lovely arrived and last week we hung in on the main fireplace at the cabin. The pictures don’t do it justice (the renovation debris doesn’t help), but I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. It’s such a special, hand-crafted piece–hand-crafted right here in Idaho!– that we love so much!
When we first got in contact with Chase, the genius behind Faraway Lovely, we were able to pick what size we wanted (we went with the largest since we have a pretty tall fireplace here (albeit, narrow), and also got to pick the fabric from the Pendleton Woolen Mills store. Each piece uses real antlers that have been shed–no animal was harmed in the making of these at all!–and then he sculpts the busts and covers them in Pendleton wool fabric of your choosing. The veins, muscle definition, the way he positions the fabric so intentionally on each piece is truly a work of art.
We chose not to see it after he was finished, and before he sent it, so it would be a surprise and we were overwhelmed while pulling it out of the box. It may not look like it in some of these photos, but it’s nearly 4 ft tall! It’s huge! Here’s the pro photo Chase took before sending it to us that he later shared.
One small, but significant thing we are adding to our cabin is red. The color. I have next to no red in our home and it has always scared me a bit. I have no intentions of going crazy with it, but we’re definitely focusing on warmer tones to create a more cozy atmosphere at the cabin. This buck was the perfect introduction.
Hanging it was a cinch! It literally took 3 minutes? Each Faraway Lovely piece comes with a mount that you attach to your wall/fireplace first and then the buck just slides right onto it.
The cabin is really coming together now. Appliances are being delivered soon, we’re battling snow and a steep hill to get our kitchen countertops here, and cabinet fronts will be here next week! We just might have a working kitchen by Christmas after all.
We did make one other very big, a little scary, (a little controversial) decision this week. We’ve decided to paint the walls and stain the vertical beams. When I mentioned it on Instagram, it was pretty split between strong opinions for and against and so I’m not going to pretend that everyone is going to be in love with our decision. But we can’t wait! The more things we add to the cabin–new fireplace, new floors, new kitchen, the more we realize the natural walls that have yellowed/oranged over the years are demanding a lot of attention. Even the floor to ceiling stone fireplace takes a back visual seat to the walls. Even the view outside. (The after buck photos were taken on kind of a gloomy day so the walls look a little darker, but in reality they are closer to the color they look in the photo of Chris hanging the mount on the fireplace).
Here’s a pretty good depiction:
While we don’t hate the wood and never have–it is a little bit…overwhelming since the walls and ceiling are all one plane. We’re just excited to give them a fresher look, while still keeping the whole vibe modern rustic. Here are a few inspiration photos I have found that moved me from thinking about it to taking action:
My only fear was, would it still feel like a cabin? It’s confirmed: a cabin can be bright and clean and white and wood and rustic and modern. We want ours to be all of those things. We were going to wait a little bit before actually doing it, until things settle down, but it turns out it’s a whole lot easier to paint a wide open space when there’s no furniture in it. So! The painters are starting Monday and said it should be a very quick job. EEeee!
Leave a Reply
What do you think?
Semihandmade
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
Collaborations
learn more
next
Loloi
We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
Collaborations
learn more
next
STUGA
We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.
Collaborations
learn more
next
SHop all
What We're Right Now
What We're Right Now
Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop.
Loving
Portfolio
Design
Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
BROWSE BY CATEGORY
let's break this thing up
We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
Projects
Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
read more
read more
02
01
03
looking for inspiration?
A reader recently asked me if I’m starting to fully embrace traditional style and whether we still consider our house to be a “modern Colonial” and why. It was a really great question and so timely — I had really just been thinking about my approach to this home and how my style has changed […]
SEARCH THE BLOG
We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?
looking for something?
find stuff like:
Can We Send You Our Love Letter?
Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
@chrislovesjulia
Links
Get Around
Make yourself right at home
Portfolio
Design
Casual Friday
Projects
Lifestyle
Gift Guides
All Posts
Shop
Love where you live.
Social
RivrLinks
Links
Get Around
Make yourself right at home
Portfolio
Design
Casual Friday
Projects
Lifestyle
Gift Guides
All Posts
Shop
Love where you live.
Social
RivrLinks
Yay for A-frames! it’s well past to recognize them as the unique and special places that they are! So glad to see you giving this one new life, and LOVE your plans for painting and staining!
Hi there! We have an A frame very similar to yours, and painting the walls is the first thing we did- even before we moved anything in! It took a ton of coats- I think at least 3-4. The color of the beams is original. Let me know if you want to see some pictures- I cannot copy in this section:)
I love the idea of the white ceiling and stained vertical beams! I think it’s going to look awesome in combination with the fireplace stone!
I LOVE THAT BUCK! What amazing craftmanship! Also, two thumbs up on painting. The wood isn’t as knotty as it could be, but you’re totally right about it detracting. Will you go with an opaque paint or more of a wash/stain?
Love the second inspiration image. Light, bright, and most natural of all. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
I love that you’re painting it! It’s going to look so good. What colour did you decide on beams? My suggestion would be to keep the wood and just stain or enhance the colour of them! Then you get to keep a bit of the cabin history and don’t feel too bad. Haha.
It might work. I don’t like the first inspirational photo with the beams going across. It is way too busy. I think because your beams go up you will have an illusion of more height. I would not make the beams too dark either. Good luck!
Love it! I was surprised originally when you said you were leaving the wood as is. I think the white with wood beams is best of both worlds. I’m excited to see!
Same here!
I guess I missed on instragram the painting announcement but I’m so stoked! I also own a cabin with knotty pine paneling (albeit vertical and not horizontal) and I’ve been dying to paint it. I know it’ll be a big project to tackle on my own (I don’t think hiring would be in my budget) but I can’t wait to see what you do. Luckily (for this purpose) I don’t have any tall ceilings and my square footage is relatively modest.
The deer is lovely. I need to follow this artist and find out about how he tracks down shed antlers, it seems so interesting!
Totally on board with the painted white wood. Can’t wait to see it!
I completely agree with your decision to paint that orangey wood. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 70’s surrounded by bad wood paneling … stained wood paneling gives me flashbacks to leisure suits and stiff polyester. I have to say that in all your posts from the cabin, I liked the one of the guest room the best (you know, where you painted the paneling green) because I think that wood looks so much better painted. If your cabin ends up looking anything like the first inspiration picture (I mean, that is one spectacular room), you guys will be so happy! That black stain on the outside is awesome and I can’t wait to see how the inside looks once all that orangey wood is gone!
Definitely do what makes you happy! It will be so much brighter and you won’t have to worry about the wood tones together. We painted our post and beam home white and haven’t looked back!
You will not regret this decision. Tongue and groove only gets darker over time and if you have any furniture or wall hangings that you move there will be a faded spot where that piece was. Don’t get me wrong I love tongue and groove and my last house had a lot of it and we ended up staining our beams super dark to contrast the lighter wood walls, but it the end I wish had done less tongue and groove. My husband would not let me paint it!
I love the addition of the white- your inspo. Images sold me! …and that Pendleton mount is SO PERFECT in your space. I’ve always loved a touch of red in my space & have gotten away from it in the past several years….but I feel like it needs to make a little comeback. I’m starting to gear more towards what makes me happy – I tried the whole ‘blue’ thing & it just wasn’t me. Do you!! ????????????
YES! It’s going to look so fresh and pretty!
I’m excited that you’re painting them white. You are going to have a cozy, classy cabin. Wish it were mine.
I think the white is just what it needs. It makes me think of younghouselove when they shared about painting their brick and some people were so against it Seeing the inspiration pics made a believer out of me???? The buck is perfect! Did you name him yet? Thanks as always for sharing, I love watching the process!
So many opinions :) I think it will be beautiful, and most importantly, true to you. Love watching the transformation – thanks for sharing!
YAY for the white paint!!! I love the look of painted wood and with the vertical beams left natural it will be gorgeous!! And I don’t think cabins have to be dark and woodsy…..I can’t wait to see it!!
I love it! I’m kind of new to you but really enjoy your blog and your cabin.
I think the white will look great. I also love that you are doing what makes you guys happy! Who cares if it doesn’t give off the “vibe” that other people think it should, it’s YOUR house! And just like everything else you guys touch, it will be lovely!
Yay team white walls! In pictures I struggled with how the floors blended strangely with the walls. I just couldn’t see it, not only will that fireplace shine it will make those beautiful floors pop! Can’t wait to see it!! And I’ve never been a deer head fan, but now I need to buy a cabin so I can get one. ????????????????
The buck is beautiful! I got some kickback for painting the attic bedrooms in our former house white, even though the wood was skinny, very dark orange-y brown, super knotty and had shiny varnish on it AND the ceilings were only just over 6′ with not a lot of natural light AND there were two little girls’ bedrooms up there! It felt like a 1970’s sauna up there, or the inside of a coffin (yeesh) before we painted it and SO much bigger and brighter after. For reals, wood people (bless them) are hard core! I actually think painting between the beams will make the wood of the beams stand out so much more. It’ll make them look bigger and manlier! Yahoo!
I think it is going to be fantastic!! I love white and I think it’ll balance the stained wood perfectly! Can’t wait!!
Oh wow! How exciting! My husband and I just decided to paint the wood ceiling of our 1950’s fixer. The wood wasn’t great to begin with and the previous owner had stained it really poorly – it is splotchy and literally green. We might clad the beams later on, but for our move in the whole ceiling will be painted.
Love the buck!!! As a frequent cabin rentor (Airbnb and home away) I ’m Super sad about the white. It loses the cabin feel with it :(. Regardless, doing what you love is always best, especially if you’ll be the main ones staying there.
How many cabins have you stayed in that were painted white with wood beams–just curious? Because when I think about it, EVERY cabin I’ve stayed in has all wood walls and I think it could be a refreshing difference.
None! I’m a traditional soul and just love the wamth/coziness wood since it’s so different from our home. If you’re shooting for something different and you love it then this is 100% the way to go! It’ll be beautiful either way.
Exactly! As a frequent traveller and renter (of cabins especially, Canadian over here) I have literally never went somewhere because of the cabin/house I was staying in. You pick the destination and then the accommodations after. I agree that the white will be a good way to break up so many wood tones, and make it a modern alternative to the traditional log style cabin rental. And if people don’t feel like it’s “cabiny” enough, take a look out those beautiful windows at the scenery, which is probably why they are travelling there in the first place.
So glad you’re painting it white and leaving the beams wood. It will be the perfect combo! The walls are very orange now and may make matching furniture difficult. The white walls will go with everything! :)
I don’t remember what I voted in the ig poll but I am FIRMLY in the “paint it” camp now!! Love those inspiration pics!! (And also now so desperately want an a-frame cabin.
The HGTV Montana house has a Moose mount like yours. Check out Patrick’s feed. They copied you….ha! Love the white
I think it’s going to look great!!
Omg yay!!!!! Can’t wait to see the final result! Those beams are going to look so so good!
It’s going to look fantastic. You made a great point about all that wood being what draws your attention rather than the beautiful renovation. Do you.
You know, Emily Henderson is also making over a mountain house and originally was going for a Refined Scandinavian look. While, I love a lot of what she’s doing and the involvement that she has allowed her readers in voting on decisions, I think by painting your ceiling white, and the flooring and stone choices you and Chris have made your cabin will end up with more of a Refined Scandinavian look than hers. This is a long winded way of saying, I love what you guys are doing and am so excited to see it’s progression. Totally living my mountain house dreams vicariously through you!
While I love the idea of painting them white, keep in mind that when they’re white, they won’t give off that beautiful glow that the wood stain will when lit at night. The flow of a warm cabin is the best feeling!
These discussions remind me of when we decided to paint our brick fireplace white.)) Wood, like brick, is just one of those polarizing topics, and the people saying, “Oh no, why?!” aren’t the ones that will be living with it every day.
Combining a reno and content creation is great (done it myself), but a house is also a place to live (and love!). All these people claiming your decision “perpetuates the white wall trend” need to realize how ridiculous it would be to make a decision solely to “prove something to the design world.”
Anyway, rant over, ha!
P.S. I am (and always will be) on team Paint-It-White. :)
Haha, yes. We aren’t out to prove anything. We just want to paint the walls white and stain the beams so that’s what we are going to do. Haha
What about keeping the wood (staining to match the same color as the vertical beams) in the loft area? I love the blend of wood & white in the 4th inspiration photo.
There is a separation and extra walls in the beautiful Aframe Haus, and ours is all one big open space, so it wouldn’t look the same.
I wish they’d do this too! It’s be so easy to add a horizontal beam that’s on the same level as the loft base and paint white below and keep wood above. It’d warm it up and be so gorgeous…
Yes!!!!!! Will be gorgeous! Now the floors and fireplace can sing their songs : )
I’m excited about this! It also seems to be more true to your aesthetic while still honoring the spirit of a cabin.
I was hoping you’d do it! It’ll be so fresh but still very ‘cabin-y’ I did the same with my home – the pine ceiling had yellowed so much over the years so I painted it a warm white and stained the center beam a walnut color and it looks fantastic! Can’t wait to see how yours looks – I bet the view becomes even more prominent with the walls/ceiling goes white.
P.S. the buck is spectacular!
Love the details on your deer head- such a stunner! Regarding white paint- I remember Jenna Sue commenting on her mountain house reno that it was HARD to paint the knots in her ceiling, because they kept bleeding through. It looks like most of your inspiration pics have that mottled look with knots a slightly different color. So I’m curios if your end goal is pure white or if you’ll embrace the knots bleeding through.
A shellac based primer like Zinsser BIN will keep the knots from bleeding through and discoloring the paint. There will still be texture which creates dark spots unless the knots are filled with wood filler. In a cabin the texture of the knots is probably desirable but if you’re painting paneling in a study or bedroom you might want to hide them.
I think the walls are going to look amazing!!! Great decision!
Our A frame also has wood walls with the yellow orange tint. I think your wood is beautiful but I do love the look of the white wood. My husband is not down with painting the wood walls, so I will live vicariously through your paint job!
That first inspiration photo is a mess. All the attention is drawn to those beams, which is the opposite of what you say you want. To be sure, your A-frame doesn’t have all that beam work, but I kinda wonder if just straight up going all white on walls and beams is more what you are after. I wonder if you can paint the walls before staining the beams so you can kinda see what look that gives you and then decide whether or not to stain or paint the beams. My two cents (which aren’t worth much). Also, for the love Mike, please take that deer head down during reno. Gonna get super dusty very quickly.
It’s your space, only you can decide what is best for it! I can only imagine how confusing it is having so many different voices and opinions on what to do though!
The buck looks lovely. I am curious though why you decided to go with an upholstered piece instead of real taxidermy?
I love the idea to paint the walls! I think that it will help emphasize the architecture of the a-frame by adding contrast between the beams and walls. And the walls will still have so much texture! Can’t wait to see it!
I absolutely agree with you. I was seeing more orange in the walls as your work progressed and purchases arrived.
I vote a dark moody gray from your flooring or black for the walls. Everyone has done white, stand out ????
Can’t wait to see it painted.
YES! I can’t wait to see the white and was honestly kind of shocked that you WEREN’T planning it at first.
Three takeaways:
– That deer head totally rocks the space.
– Those are very nice inspiration photos. I understand why you got the painting itch.
– I will need therapy once you post the after photos (team au naturel!), but this is coming from someone that’s struggling to paint honey oak cabinets. Cue Sarah Mclachlan… “I will remember youuuuuuuu…..”
Normally I’m all for natural wood, but after you stained the outside black, I realized just how much more the scenery popped that way… so I think you are spot on about this particular wood being a distraction from the view… which, in my opinion, is the best “artwork”!!! Gotta let it shine! Can’t wait to see it!
I’m am SO JEALOUS that you’re painting the walls! My boyfriends family has a log cabin in New Hampshire, and we’ve been doing a lot of work to declutter and rethink how the spaces are used and make it more guest and family friendly for all of us. The one big change I’m desperate for is changing up the stain on the outside (to black) and the walls on the inside to white (even just white washed! I don’t want to lose the natural grain, I just want to get rid of the orangey stain), but I CANNOT get the rest of the family on board. Some day I’ll convince them, I’ll be adding your after photos to my inspiration/persuasion files I’m sure! :)
The buck looks amazing. I’m sooo happy you decided to paint and stain. I just don’t think it looks as good in it’s current state. Obviously just personal preference but I can’t wait to see it done! Good luck!
I was a skeptic, but your inspiration photos are selling it. And… everything you touch turns to gold so I’ve no doubt it will be beautiful! I’m glad you are keeping wood toned beams. The contrast will be beautiful.
I’m typically a fan of leaving beautiful wood alone (yellowed wood, while it has its place, is not the most appealing), but in this case I think painting the walls will create the visual balance to rest the eyes while making any wood left in its natural (stained) state and that STUNNING fire place stand out as it is meant to. As always, anything you choose to do looks amazing! Thank you for the continued inspiration.
I know my opinion doesn’t matter, but I was really hoping you were going to surprise everyone and go with option C: whitewashing the walls. I’m not one to say leave it wood just because it is wood–and honestly that yellow-orange tone is so dated, so no loss there–but by painting you are going to lose all that cosy texture of the wood grain. Plus I think when there is snow on the ground it is going to be a whole lot of white on white on white. If there is a way to paint the walls to retain at least some of the wood grain, I would do that.
We purchased a mid century modern flat-roofed home in June, and some of the walls but alllll of the ceiling were exactly the colour of your walls, ceiling and beams. Our hearts wanted to keep it wood and boy did we try… but in the end, we ended up spraying it all white, including the beams. It’s just so super bossy and we mostly found the strong orange’y colour just didn’t play well with anything else in the house. Needless to say- we now LOVE it! Good for you on making such a controversial decision- we’ve discovered that everyone seems to have an opinion on painting wood, and especially ceiling wood and beams.
I have to admit, I was in camp “leaveit” just because I want you to prove to the world that wood walls are beautiful too. I have a Lake house that has raw wood walls and I have resisted paint so far, although it was the first thing that I wanted to do when we bought the place.
Also, I’m guessing now that you are painting you will need to take down those beautiful fans with the dusty lights. ???? “Such a disappointment!” Said no one ever.
Now that you are going with white walls, are you concerned that the floors are going to feel too light? What color/style rugs do you plan on putting in the space?
I think the beautiful floors will actually stand out now
I’ve thought the floors didn’t play well with the wood on the walls so really believe white walls will work so much better. [Not a fan of offering a negative opinion AFTER someone has made a choice/spent the $$]. I love wood. But not All wood. And not overwhelming wood.
This also makes the kitchen cabinets make more since, too. I was so worried at the greyed out wood cabinets in combo with the different wood floor and different wood walls. Now the whole picture makes more sense, and I think it will be beautiful!
Yes, exactly. I had been thinking that the 3 different tones of floor, cabinets, and walls/ceiling was just too many wood tones. I think painting the walls/ceilings and staining the beams is a perfect balance & will make all the elements harmonize so much better.
Your cabin is BEAUTIFUL!!!
This is YOUR home and you guys should do what feels right for you, but I wanted to jump in and say YAY! I looooove love love the tones of the floors and cabinets you chose and think the yellow undertones of the walls drowned out those beautiful pieces. Can’t wait to see it after paint!
Love the deer head! They actually have to use antlers with the skull plate attached since when deer shed antlers it is *extremely rare* that the antlers are found anywhere near one another since they don’t typically shed at the same time. We actually contacted the seller a while back for a buck and were sent pics of antlers with the skull plate attached to choose from for our piece.
This is to say that the deer had to die in some manner to get the antlers. While I highly doubt that the seller harvested the deer, someone did and hopefully for the meat and not just the antlers.
Have you guys considered looking into a semi transparent white stain? That way it’s white but still rustic and “cabiney”(but not granny whitewashed). Or maybe the matte finish of a solid white stain! I think the stain would still allow it to maintain the wood character vs paint that would cover up some of it.
We considered a whitewash but have seen it go peach or pink and I’d rather get it right the first time
You will
Not regret painting those walls! It’s a perfect idea to keep the beams wood. I’m excited to see it. I support you! ????????
I made the same decision two years ago, renovating a rustic house in the mountains. I have not regretted it. It is still rustic, just much brighter and lighter. It takes guts to do this, but I think you will be very pleased with the results.
Great design decision! I was always hoping you’d do this.
I think painting the walls is such a good decision! Too much wood is just… too much. Cannot wait to see what it looks like!
Love the idea of painting the walls white and staining the beams! Can’t wait to see the results!
So excited you’re painting! It’s the best of both worlds, paint and you’re leaving some exposed wood beams! Can’t WAIT to see the progress.
I can definitely see how the walls are drawing attention away from everything else. It’ll look great! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
OMG – I love your buck :)
As far as painting the wood I think it all depends on your permanent fixtures (cabinets etc). I personally love the white paint & stained beam look.
Can’t wait to see the results!!!
It’s going to be gorgeous!! I was kind of liking all the wood, but yes, I love the inspiration pictures!!!
I think everything you decide comes together beautifully so I’m exited to see the final cabin look. It’s giving me a ton of inspiration for mine that is currently in the planning stage. Thank you!!
Omg. I’m so glad you decided to paint the walls/ceilings! I was looking at the bust/deer head and marveling at how AMAZING it is. Then I looked at the walls and paper covered floor and the stone fireplace and the bust and was like…yikes those walls / ceiling really throw it off. It would be so pretty with plain walls and wood beams. I actually thought you could go darker and moodier and cozier on the walls instead of white. Something g about the bust/head made me think Ralph Lauren mixed with moody Scandinavia decor vibe. Anyway as long as the wood isn’t the main thing and just a touch on the beams I’m sure it will be lovely. Can’t wait to see the final reveal! It’s going to be magical.
I think white is totally keeping in line with your style. It will look amazing!!
Whenever I’m torn on a decision, I try do make a quick Photoshop doc to see the adjustments. This would probably be pretty easy to pick one section and then adjust the colors of the walls. That way you get an idea of what something will look like before having to commit.
I love to do that too!
Love love it!!!!! You guys are doing a great job as usual !!!
The buck looks awesome! A little sad you’re painting the wood, but also I know it will look really awesome. Tough decision!
Painting it white is the best decision ever! Now, instead of the eye focusing on the huge orange walls, everything else is going to stand out and the walls will recede! I can’t wait to see it!!
Love the new buck! And I think painting and staining the walls/beams are going to look so good! I can’t wait to see it and I know you won’t regret it. Great choice ????
Love the buck and can’t wait to see the cabin painted!
I love love love the deer head, and that no deer was harmed for it! Great choice.
Question: I’ve noticed in some of the inspiration shots you’ve shared over the course of the cabin Reno that some a frames feature the kitchen galley style across from the living room. Maybe I missed it, but did you consider that option any point? I realize that would mean moving water lines and all, just curious. :)
We actually did, but a dining table and chairs is really important to us and having the kitchen spill into the dining area wouldn’t work for us. We did change our kitchen’s footprint to make it more open though.
If the painted wood even slightly resembles that of the @aframehaus, it’s going to be soooooo goooood.
Definitely a GREAT choice to paint the wood!! It will make a huge difference and feel more you.
i’m actually so glad you’re painting them! it’s going to look great! i’m not a fan of the undertones of the wood myself so i fully support staining or painting & hey, it’s your house! do what you want!
This makes me so happy that you are painting the walls white! It’s going to look amazing. I will say, I was wondering how you were going to balance the wood on wood on wood. It’s going to look amazing and would no matter what you decided to do. I will be checking everyday for more updates!
I’m so happy you’re going to paint. I think it will take the cabin from nice to stunning. I grew upon a house with knotty pine walls. My parents tried everything to make the natural word work in the house, but no matter what they tried it looked dated. Finally they decided to paint the pine walls and BOOM the entire house was suddenly charming and cohesive. I cannot wait to see how the white looks!
Also, why is it that almost all the people who are against painting wood are shaming you about it? Tsk, tsk, they need to lighten up. (See what I did there?????)
Obsessed with your inspiration pictures! In my mind, you can do no wrong, so trust your gut. I CANNOT WAIT to see how it turns out! So excited for you.
I think you made the right decision to paint the wood white. It really seals it when you see those 4 beautiful inspiration photos compared to that last photo of your current walls. They definitely need a refresh. Everything you do always turns out stunning, I’m sure this will be no exception! So excited to see the final results!
Chris and Julia- I first want to say that I love your blog and get a lot of inspiration for my own home from it, it really helped me get out of a design rut! On the topic of your walls, I can totally see why you want to paint them white, it will look awesome I am sure! I have to say though that, selfishly, I am a bit sad at the same time. I have a post and beam home that has pine walls almost everywhere (imagine wood on wood on wood, ha!), and I was so looking forward to seeing how you worked the original walls into your design scheme so that I could use it as inspiration for my own home. See? Very selfish, sorry! I have been really trying to design my home around the wood to really showcase its natural beauty despite my original desire to paint all the pine walls white. I guess I feel I am trying to “listen to the house” and get a feel for how it wants to be designed rather than trying to force it into something different. That being said, I know everyone is different in what they want. Plus, some of those inspiration pictures you shared are just amazing! Again, I love your style and know that your home away-from-home will still come out amazing and still provide me with a ton of inspiration for my home too. Best of luck!
Do you ever read Deuce Cities Henhouse? They have a WI cabin and left nearly all the unpainted wood paneling on the walls & ceiling & made it work. You might find some inspo over there too.
I love their cabin! To each their own
Julia, I think the paint is going to look amazing. I cannot wait to see how it looks.
Same, so preferred the warm wood, something other than the same old white paint “farmhouse” look. :\
Oh, so bummed! I’m an interior designer who lives in a log cabin and I promise you- there are ways to achieve the modern and fresh aesthetic you’re after without white paint! The world of online content needs more “outside the box” thinking and working with what’s there, not just manufacturing a sterile white box. Bye gorgeous cabin!!
You know what, who cares if some people don’t care for the white painted planks. The only thing that matters is that you like it. It’s the CLJ cabin, not the everyone cabin. I feel like this decision is one like you made with your master bath in regard to the bath tub. Who REALLY likes/wants orange wood walls? #nobody
The Pendleton piece looks amazing and so does the fireplace! I’m on team paint it white, myself. I am in complete agreement with you that the walls as is compete for too much visual attention. I think the other beautiful elements of your cabin (the beams, the stone of your fireplace, the flooring, the textiles you selected) will get their chance to shine by turning down the volume of the walls. I can’t wait to see it!
Agree with Ana 100%.
I once rescued an orange toned, solid wood credenza from an office that was closing and painted it light gray. People. Were. Pissed! I felt a little guilty because of that but got over it because, I mean, the lady I got it from said that if she couldn’t get anyone to take them by the end of the week she was just going to toss them (which is how I ended up with two….) and I still have it years later.
Long winded way of saying, if it makes you happy, go for it! It’ll look great.
We have an A-frame lakehouse that we did a complete renovation on, this involved adding a lot of new wood that we needed to match to the existing wood. We attempted to match the stain…. it didn’t look right but we persisted as we were fans of the wood look and WANTED it to work. We got about 75% done and were not thrilled with the progress and finally threw in the towel and just painted it. Best decision we made when renovating the house, hands down. It looks so sharp now with the light cream color and the dark exposed beams.
I think you are making the right choice. Wood is great, if it is the right type of wood and the right tone and this wood just isn’t quite there and because the space is so open it is just SO MUCH OF THE WRONG WOOD. So many people are anti painting wood, but wood shouldn’t be preserved just because it is wood. Not all wood is equal and this is just run-of-the-mill big box store cladding. Painting is the right move and keeping the beams stained will add so much depth and interest to the space.
Yes !yes !yes !on the white ,I was so hoping you would do it ! I didn’t think the orangey wood fit in with your style at all but knew even if you kept the wood colour you would find a way to rock it ! But I’m so glad you chose to paint .cant wait to see what it look like .
Yeeeeesss! Do what you want with your space and ignore the others. It’ll be gorgeous.
Can’t wait to see it white!! Way to stay true to what you want!
I was on team white and I think it’ll be beautiful! So fun to see the progress…
I didn’t vote on painting vs. not painting (I always feel like it’s not my house, not my choice ????????♀️) but I thought the same thing about the walls taking so much of the focus off your floors and fireplace. I think it will look amazing!
I’m so excited you’re going white!!!!!
I love watching your progress on this project!! You guys are doing such a great job. White will be BEAUTIFUL here! Can’t wait to see the afters!
I’ve always loved your aesthetic, but I’m really disappointed about your decision to go white. I wish you would’ve found a way to keep the wood with a stain to soften the orange instead of perpetuating this trend of painting everything white. I guess this isn’t surprising given your choice of floor and cabinets- they’ve never felt right with your current wood walls. I’m sure you’ll still rock it, but I’m sad for your cabin today. You’re losing something special and homey about a log cabin.
Agreed. When the floors and cabinets were “revealed” I knew that the walls would end up white because neither of the wood tones selected even remotely go with the tone of the walls. It’s become pretty obvious that painting them white was always the intention.
I agree. Maybe it’s the white balancing, maybe it’s my screens, or maybe it’s a it’s-only-overwhelming-in-person thing, but I thought the wood paneled walls added so much warmth without being a neon yellow or orange like the old steps were. A whitewash or cream translucent stain that would maintain some of the warmth and texture of the wood would be a good middle ground. Given the amazing light that the top floor of the cabin gets, they even could have gone with a mid-tone, neutral walnut stain on the walls, not just the beams, that would be amazingly cozy and make the lighter wood elements and the fireplace stand out. With the amount of light-bleach that happens in the top floor (and you can see it already with how blown out the fireplace and the floors look), white walls might make the place stark and colder feeling.
All of the choices for the cabin so far have been very neutral or cool-tone leaning, so ultimately I’m not surprised and I’m sure it’ll turn out amazingly with the white walls. But I agree, it’s perpetuating a trend that strips the place of something special and fundamental to cozy woodland cabins.
At first I thought ‘meh’ why bother the wood is ‘fine’ then i saw your inspiration photos. Yes. Absolute yes. People are persnickety about painted wood, they just are. We had DARK knotty pine in our basement and it took me years to convince my husband to let me paint it (a lovely soft white) and it’s a stunner now. Everyone who told me not to do it now loves it. Our half/upstairs is light unstained knotty pine and while it’s okay i’m itching to paint that too. Excited to see how it turns out. How dark are you staining the beams? Also….on your instastories when you unwrapped that deer head I was very ?!??? but now that I see it up I love it. You need some sweet vintage quilts in there now too.
I have grand visions of lots of quilts and layers here! The beams are going to be close to the color of inspiration 1 or 2. Not too dark.