5 Cabin Design Mistakes to Avoid

By: Tana Lake

Designing a space is no easy task. It takes an eye for detail, a knowledge of different types of styles, and an artistic talent that not everyone has. Some things to consider when decorating are: the size and shape of the room, the type of style you're going for, and the purpose of the space. In this article I will go over 5 common design mistakes and how to avoid them.

Not Knowing the Size of a Room - The first tip to avoid is not knowing the size of your room before you decorate it. Estimations don’t always work as they’re not accurate and all of your furniture might not fit it you’re a couple feet off. Another thing to add is, if you have a larger space, it is easier than if you have a smaller space. The size and number of the furniture pieces and accents will be directly affected by the size and shape of the room. If you have a larger space, you will need to have enough furniture so that it doesn't feel bare. If you have a smaller space, try to use fewer and smaller sized pieces so it doesn't feel cluttered. Most cabins are a little on the smaller size, so furniture choice is very important. The items that you use need to be on a smaller scale to go with the size of your cabin. Something to also consider is, if you are moving into a new house you should wait to decorate it until after you've moved in. Often times people will purchase furniture for a new home without seeing the inside of their living space, only to find that the furniture doesn't fit in the space like they thought it would. 

Mixing Styles - The second tip is to avoid mixing styles. Choose a style and try to stick with it. Mixing and matching styles tends to look out of place, unless done correctly. The styles usually need to be similar in some way. If you have an eye for designing, then you may be ok, but you can't just wing it by mixing and matching completely different styles together. Such as Industrial style mixed with Southwestern style. Or Rustic Cabin with Victorian. They are not alike in any way and mixing two design styles such as these would look wrong. But if it’s Rustic and Chic, you might be ok. Or Southwestern and Rustic would work because they’re similar.

Using Broken Furniture - The third tip I have is to avoid using old, run down, or broken furniture. Yes, we all should try to save money from time to time, but you don't really want to save money by keeping broken furniture. Such as a couch that has broken springs, or stained fabric, or an end table that has splintered wood that catches people as they walk by. These types of items should be disposed of and replaced with safe furniture. People won't feel comfortable sitting in run down furniture, so try to keep updated items in your home.

Useless Furniture - The fourth tip you should avoid in decorating your cabin is to have furniture or accents that are useless or don't serve a purpose. By this I mean decorative or ornamental pieces like large urns or vases, or oversized cabinets that have little storage, but are pretty. These are probably not the best pieces to have in a cabin, since you’re usually limited on space. Since cabins are usually smaller, the furniture that you have really should have more than one purpose - it should have 2 or three. Such as an ottoman that is also a storage bin, or an end table that has drawers or shelves. When space is at a minimum, your furniture has to serve you in the best way possible. 

Multiple purpose rooms - The fifth and final design tip to avoid is having a room that serves more than one purpose. While I mentioned it is good to have furniture that serves more than one purpose, having a room like that isn't always a good thing. For example, having a guest room that doubles as your storage space. No one wants to sleep over at someone's house if they don't have an actual guest room for them. If there are boxes all over the guest bedroom, they will feel uncomfortable. Another example is having your craft room or office in your living room. Not everyone has the luxury of having a separate office or craft room, but if at all possible, it should be in a different room than the main living space. You can get away with having your office in your bedroom, but if you can avoid having it in your living room or kitchen, that is better. 

I hope you have enjoyed this article on some design mistakes that people make, and I hope it gives you some ideas on how to improve the look of your cabin home.

Tana Lake has enjoyed design all her life. She attended the Seattle Art Institute for Interior Design. Her most recent accomplishment is her new website, http://www.BestCabinDecor.com, where she features Cabin Decor for your cabin, lodge, or country home.