This log cabin is tucked away on 70 acres of property in Afton, Virginia, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The owners are a family of six that reside in Charlottesville, 45 minutes away. They wanted something close enough that they could easily use it for a getaway but remote enough to feel as though they were really on a break from regular life. The views are stunning, and the home itself is real, practical, and in keeping with the family’s favourite outdoor activities of hunting and fishing. The end result is amazingly straightforward and inviting; it seems like you have gone back in time or into an episode of Little House on the Prairie.
The log cabin is constructed of timber from the home. Other land highlights include two cornfields, fields of sunflowers in the summer and access to a stream (almost a river) long enough for a 30-minute canoe ride.
Vintage black rocking chairs lineup on the porch and look out on the acres of long grasses.
This is where the campfires (along with also the requisite s’more manufacturing ) happen. The four logs that serve as seating can hold four to five people each. The pit in the center has a smoking pole to hang a pot from for cooking fish and meats. Notice, also, the torches on each end; they’ve mesh baskets that hold coals and are modeled after those in Colonial Williamsburg.
The outside stone grill was made to mimic the stone fireplace and mantel inside the cottage. It had been intentionally placed far away from the home to produce barbeques true outdoor experiences.
An old-fashioned cider press not only leaves delicious apple cidervinegar but is also an authentic piece of machines that adds even more rustic charm to your own porch.
Naturally there’s a porch swing. Underneath it, you can see the long grasses planted by the proprietor as a beginning in returning the land to its original habitat.
A comfy leather sofa is the perfect place to rest and read.
From the main sitting room in the TV-free cottage, two armchairs paired with nesting tables and indistinguishable birch wood lamps are ideal for side-by-side reading or conversation.
The mantel above the stone fireplace retains tall grasses gathered from the website, fly-fishing paraphernalia along with antlers. A mounted fish along with other cases of the art of taxidermy finish the look.
A long farm table made from local timber is ideal for family-style dinners. The table matte shellac finish offers much-needed durability. An oil lamp set in the center of the table at night provides the space some severe 19th-century atmosphere.
A easy, single-bowl, sunken white ceramic sink sits an equally easy pine cabinet.
This custom sideboard retains kitchen requirements, including eating utensils, glasses and plates. Made of oak, this enormous piece of furniture has been modeled after a bit owned by the Madison family.
From the master bedroom, an Americana oak bed with easy headboard is coated in clean white sheets and also a vintage quilt.
A secretary-style desk made out of exactly the identical lumber used to build the home is paired with a rocking chair. The bear skin rug lays on top of a classic blue-and-white striped dhurrie.
A guest room comes with a classic wooden twin bed. The colours used in the room are all in keeping with the overall pine-and-white color strategy.
The home sleeps 14. The decorating inside this second-floor bedroom is easy: three cots and a bunk bed composed of sheets and quilts plus some animal skins hanging overhead.
The tablescape of antlers, feathers and a framed fishing photograph feels both calm and true into the space.
The windowsill retains a set of arrowheads located on the property.
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