Home Plans: Yes - cabin decorating can be done without taxidermy!

Shocking I know, but I still have nightmares about the deer hoof coat rack my parents had when I was a kid. So even when going for the country, "one with nature" look, I try to avoid dead animals. And when reader Carrie proposed a little challenge for me to provide her with inspiration for her newly renovated cabin - I agreed to take a stab. Anyone else have some ideas?

Carrie's cabin:

Carrie's own little "Shady Nook" - what a dream!

Of her *gorgeous* home she says,

Definite likes would include Adirondack, Mission and Shaker... a rustic chic.... Bold, warm colors, even though most of our space is filled with wood. Our cabin is outside of Philadelphia, that's why I say rustic chic. I'm a city girl, living in a cabin an hour from the city... we're not exactly in no man's land and I love the city. But how does I combine the two without things looking Felix & Oscar?

Dislikes include whites (in the woods nothing stays white), those cutesy bears that accompany so many cabin decor sites, and those metal chairs from the '60s (that my husband already collects). I don't have any interior shots, but I can give you some exterior shots of our cabin, "Shady Grove", for inspiration. The outbuilding with the canoes is my husband's workshop, and the cute one with blue and red trim is my "Shady Nook", and guest room."

Some yummy ideas I found:

Rich warm colors like navy blue, red, golden-tan, and plums offer bright color without being too worrisome of dirt showing through.
via Sunset

Don't you love farmhouse sinks?
via Cottage Living

The use of wood for seating and cabinets says cabin - while the back splash and clean lines ads a little touch of the city.
via Cooking Light

via Sunset

via Whole Living
Though an entire supportive column from a tree trunk may not be a realistic possibility for most of us, you can bring the forest in on a smaller scale like this tree branch used as a towel hook.

"At left, the open-air dining room features reclaimed redwood siding salvaged from an abandoned water tower that once served a local stage coach station." -
via Sunset

Use ample soft home goods to juxtapose wood and rock
via House to Home

I always equate open shelving with rustic-chic. The numbers on the back of the dining room chairs also add refinement to the country look.
via Southern Living

via My Home Ideas

via Dwellings and Decor via Country Living

via Marie Claire Maison

Little details and "imperfections" are actually nature's embellishments, and personally, I find that's where the charm lies.
via Marie Claire Maison

Wood needn't mean "cutesy bear" carvings and animals made from corn husks - wood can be sensuous and elegant like in this bedroom!
via Marie Claire Maison (?)

Dark furniture and glass accessories, and designing in symmetry or "pairs" ad elegance, and the Tuscan-style paint finish ads polish.
via Marie Claire Maison (?)