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Deuce Cities Henhouse

Achieving Urban Cabin


Hey guys, it’s me: your resident urban cabin enthusiast. I’ve been hung up on this “urban cabin” idea for awhile now. I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about it, but maybe I’ve never exactly explained the concept.

First of all, let’s talk about the term “cabin” – or as some Wisconsin people like to say: “cottage”. The cabin is a place that all of us Midwesterners know and love. Not trying to exclude other genres of locality here, but this is a very Midwestern thing.

Here in Minnesota we live in the land of 10,000 lakes, ya know. When you go to a cabin, you’re not really going to a shack in the woods. You’re going to a lake with a house on it. There’s usually at least one boat there, if not more, and you usually spend most of that time on, in, or near the water.

The making of a day at the cabin:
Your day starts off slowly. Usually sometime around noon you will partake in long, leisurely breakfasts full of salty and delicious foods and lots of different breakfast cocktails. Post-breakfast you’re feeling pretty cool – so cool that you may even decide to take a nap, or chill in a hammock. There’s nothing to do here but hang, guys. That’s all life asks of you. Before you know it the pontoon is full of snacks and portable cocktails, and your buddies tell you it’s time to hop aboard. Bring your hat cause you’ll be out for hours; there are chains of lakes up here, and they don’t stop.

Boating is not just a ride along a shore line. It’s a slow adventure that goes on and on. Around sunset you’ll be arriving home, if you didn’t nap after breakfast, you will definitely be napping now. Don’t worry, it’s only sundown but no one cares, go ahead take a nap. You’ll head off to your cozy room feeling numb and warm. Don’t sleep too long, because you might just miss the late night dinner feast that’s coming your way. Dinner is always delicious and the jokes are usually especially good. Now here’s the one hard part: it might be your turn to do the dishes. Shucks, really? Just stop whining and do it already, because when you’re done, you can celebrate your hard work by playing cards, listening to some jams and taking a late, late night dip in the GD lake. This is cabin life.

How I do:
From the second the clock strikes 5pm on Friday afternoon ’till we go to bed Sunday night, I want my house to exude cabin life. I’m not saying that this is an homage to gluttony and drinking problems, but more about the art of relaxing and enjoying friends and family. To do this you need to encourage some cool vibes, I’m talking cabin vibes here. You may be asking how I encourage cool cabin vibes in this city setting? Besides having some delish meals, an occasional cocktail, and a few friends to share them with, there also needs to be an aesthetic feel. It takes a delicate blend of a few design elements. I’m not talking knotty pine walls and birch furniture. I obviously know that’s crazy, duh. However, I still would like to give a noble nod to that cabin lyfe I so love and adore.

Naturally, the porch would be the perfect candidate for a faux cabin. I know there’s no lake or pontoon, or even a hammock for that matter, but it does have sun, a sofa, breezes, jams, and no distractions beyond kids needing stuff every once in awhile. Like I said, the knotty pine is out, so how does one achieve “urban cabin”? Lemme tell you how. Basically, “urban cabin” is a mix of cabin kitsch and modern-semi-ironic cool stuff. I mean regular old deer heads are cool and all, but I like them better in resin with brightly painted antlers. Horse shoes are tyte but I prefer them powder coated in NEON RED! Get it, a mix of modern whimsy (I hate that word but I think it’s appropriate for urban cabin), combined with a little Wes Anderson, and finished off with a touch of knotty pine.

Whadayathink? Did I pull it off? Do you get it, does it work? I kinda love it.

Watch out Jeff, Scoops is about to go Etsy shopping!

Horse Shoe in Neon Red
To make you extra lucky.

Vintage Turntable
For the jamz.

Melamine Rafia Cups in Gingham
For the cabin cocktails, it’s plastic so it won’t break when you “accidentally” drop it.

Arrows
Cool campy (get my funny pun) decorations.

Resin Antler and Deer head
Because you can’t take the cabin decorating too seriously, otherwise you just have a cabin in the city, and that’s weird.

Vintage Cribbage Board
Everyone’s favorite cabin game.

Pleasure Chest Cooler
Duh, it’s called a pleasure chest, c’mon!

Wool Pendelton Pillow
Perfect cabin combo; vintage, wool, pendelton, triangles.

Vintage Atlases and Books
For those rainy days.

Cabin Block Printed Pillow
A modern nod to the cabin.

Vintage Thermoses
Because every cabin needs a kitschy collection.

Handwoven Placemats
Because you need a place to eat all your urban cabin meals.

Patchwork Vintage Quilt
You know you’ll need a cabin nap.

Birch candle holders
Doesn’t every cabin needs a tiny bit of birch, it’s not a cabin without it.

12 comments
in Decor, Inspiration, Porch
10 comments… add one
  • Cheryl June 19, 2013

    I love everything about this post!!!

    • Scoops June 19, 2013

      Thanks! I really poured my heart into this one :)

  • Amanda Burnette June 19, 2013

    I really dig this urban cabin idea. I feel as though I want our house to be an urban cabin all winter. Thanks for the inspiration to accessorize!

    • Scoops June 19, 2013

      Yes! I’m glad urban cabin is catching on! Let’s all have urban cabins!

  • Yes. I grew up visiting my uncle’s cabin in Montana made of two foot diameter logs and a concrete floor. There was a pond to catch frogs and salamanders and a river to splash around in. We had a garden surrounded by a 12 foot fence to keep out the deer and thousands of acres of forest service property at the edge of our meadow. I’m heartbroken that my boys will never know the joys of finding the perfect spot for their own secret fort in the woods and spend years building it to perfection. The thought that our own home might elicit those feelings of relaxation, seclusion, and escape is wonderful. You are on to something here :)

    • Scoops June 19, 2013

      This is what I’m talking about! Having a space invoke special places from our memory.

      You do a good job of giving your kids lots of good outdoor memories even though they all don’t involve secret forts in the woods. I wish we got outdoors and on big adventures more often but are still slaves to the afternoon nap schedule… someday.

      I think especially when we are the parents of young kids, and we can’t go out (aka be mobile on the drop of a dime) like we used to (day or night), we have to have parts of our home that feel like we got away, ya know?

  • CAM June 19, 2013

    Love this post so much! Cabin Lyfe = Best Lyfe. So glad we get to share these special times with you!

    • Scoops June 19, 2013

      Wouldn’t want to share them with anyone else! Love ya CAM!

  • paislea August 19, 2013

    Thank you so much for including The Oleg in your post! He looks amazing and we think that he would fit well in an Urban Cabin themed home!

    • Scoops August 20, 2013

      Yeah! For sure! I went out and bought The Oleg right away, he makes our urban cabin, super urban. Thanks!

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