You’ve decided to follow the call of nature and build yourself a cabin on the river. Heck yes.
BUT for as many decisions as had to make deciding to build it, those pale in comparison to how many decisions you’ll need to make to fill it…
This is where our clients found themselves when they reached out to us for help. They had commissioned the construction of a stunning 4 bedroom, 4 and a half bath treehouse (literally, it’s on stilts over the river) in the insanely popular Broken Bow, Oklahoma woods.
The construction work was already under way, but when they looked at the surrounding homes and the furniture inside of them (which could best be described as “we emptied a HomeGoods”…not trying to be rude here, but there was some room for improvement!), they knew that this investment needing something a little more curated and a little less Rooms To Go, something that represented them and their family in a stylish way.
Upon meeting with them (they are the actual best) and looking over the plans and renderings that had been put together, we couldn’t say yes fast enough! There is nothing we designers love more than to be handed what was essentially a well thought out blank canvas and to be told to have fun!
(Okay, okay, our clients had some helpful feedback, but were pretty much game for anything we came up with).
A DREAM!
THE STORY:
This cabin was to be built with the idea that it would host family gatherings, weekend getaways, and retreat vacations for years to come. As parents to kids leaving - or soon to be leaving - the nest, the thought was that as life progressed this home would grow with the family and be a place to go back to time and time again.
The other piece of this puzzle was allowing it to be something that could be rented out to others when not in use, a way to add a little secondary income to their vacation retreat. It needed to be durable and easily maintainable. Beautiful, but not filled with anything too precious.
Here is what that looked like when it came to filling it. We needed inspiration that could then be woven into every element of the home in our materials and selections that were both captivating while remaining durable, timeless, and cohesive with the backdrop of the nature it was nestled in.
Funny enough we found our inspiration quickly and based most everything, our color palette, textures, design intent on this. His hobby, fly fishing, and even more specifically the fish to catch, a Rainbow Trout.
Has a house ever before been designed around a Rainbow Trout? Not to our knowledge. 🎣
GETTING STARTED:
Concept Renderings by Q Architecture + Design
There were a few things we needed to determine first before we got too far into the details:
Confirm the finishes and fixtures the builder would be installing in the cabin to make sure everything we selected worked well with those (and of course to offer a few preferred swap outs or an accent here or there – I mean we are interior designers after all). Spoiler alert – the contractor may or may not have made some swaps along the way without alerting us. But more on that later…
The scale and size of each room and what it furniture would fit it well. To find a balance of what our clients wanted to be incorporated and knowing that things on site can vary from a first set of drawings (translation: things aren’t always built to plan). Our goal was to make sure that each room was handled intentionally to allow for maximum function and design appeal.
THE DESIGN PLAN:
Using the Architectural plans, we carefully laid out each room and mocked up key features in 3D. Then we went to TOWN, selecting every piece of furniture, art, and doo-dad to bring this cabin to life. We leaned into natural colors, materials, and textures to make this cabin a cozy retreat.
Now as we hinted to earlier we did request a few other minor changes to the finishes and fixtures that were not part of the initial drawings. Contractors LOVE when we offer these unsolicited changes (THEY DON’T – this is why we have to be so charming), but trust us when we say it was worth it and they paid off big time. We just embellished here and there so keep an eye out for things like…
Oversized patterned wallpaper
A dark bold wall color in true TLD style
BIGGER and BETTER light fixtures
As with a lot of new builds, this wasn’t a true custom home. Our clients were able to select a package of finishes and light fixtures that all were pre-designed to work together. That makes things easier for the builder for obvious reason, and can feel easier on the buyer’s side since you don’t have to make 2000 decisions. Right? RIGHT?!?!
Well, even though this house was fully designed from a construction finishes and fixtures standpoint when we showed up, we spent quite a bit of time in coordination with the builder to be sure everything was built out as designed. As construction came to a close, quite a few sneaky swaps were made. Less expensive light fixtures swapped out for statement ones, or a different tile than what was originally in the Design Package, but most notably THE ENTIRE FLOORING was installed with the wrong color.
And then we all died.
Guys, it was BAD. Not like “end of the world” bad, but we had designed ALLLLLLLL of the furniture to compliment the wood floor (since it’s in every room) and when that whole floor turns from brown-ish wood to GRAY, it’s a design disaster.
Thankfully, a huge bonus to working with a Designer is that you have an advocate on your side. We came alongside our clients and went to bat for them, and after some back and forth, alllllllllllllll of that flooring was replaced to a flooring of our choosing.
Crisis averted.
With all the planning and how we got here out of the way, let’ s take a look at what you are really here for…the after photos.
THE AFTER:
Come inside!
From the moment you walk in the cabin there are details that make this space so personal. A collection of pinned vintage prints that capture our design direction as you walk in and hang up your coat, even down to a tiny fishing fly attached to a matted art print. Can you spot it?!
Set across from those prints might be my favorite thing in the whole house, an antique card catalog, perfect for holding fishing flies and all manner of small things. It is a statement all in itself but there is one other special item that calls you to explore upstairs. As not only fishermen but wine connoisseurs, our clients had been saving corks for ages. We took many many of them corks and commissioned a textural work of art framed in acrylic so you can appreciate it from every angle.
In the powder bath, the builder was kind enough to swap the original wallpaper for this nature inspired print. It adds so much to this small space.
Once inside, the entry the small vestibule leads you into the most stunning living, dining, and kitchen combo.
Coming into the main space is a bit of a jaw-dropper. With tall wood ceilings and wall to wall windows that overlook the river, the one that you are literally floating above on stilts, it is every nature lover’s dream. Pine wraps the walls and ceilings complimented by the light stone fireplace that reaches the ceiling
P.S. that fireplace was going to be a dark grey/brown stone and lovingly suggested that cream would be wayyyyyyy better. Thankfully everyone was on board!
We filled every inch with details and mementos only right for a treehouse cabin, many of them being found items that we wish could tell their story. For instance, the 4 framed prints to the side of the fireplace, used to live in the Library of Congress back in the 1890’s.
The kitchen and dining are just as pretty to look at as the living area but more importantly it’s a WORKHORSE. We had custom made a 12’ long dining table that rivals the nearby island, perfect for all the family gatherings. We outfitted the bar per our clients request to meet their needs for all things wine and coffee while also having a little fun with art and handmade pottery that ties everything back to our design intent.
Remember when we mentioned we made a few lighting swaps… the majority of those happened in this space. The dining chandelier needed to be much bigger to hold its own in such an open room. The pendants had been swapped during construction for some tiny white ones that were NOT doing anything for the space, so we remedied that one real quick.
I’d also like to take a moment just to note the dinner bell. Why because for lack of better words, HOW CUTE, not to mention practical to rally the troops at mealtime.
I’m just going to make a blanket statement for every bedroom: they might be the coziest rooms we have ever created.
We layered each wall with intentional art, a mix of old and new, huge and tiny pieces that added the perfect curated feel on top of all that pine wood.
In the bathrooms we didn’t do much more than sprinkle in details, making sure that each space not only served its function but looked good doing it, for example a rooted table by the tub because you can never go wrong with more wood and we’d rather you not have to reach for your soap.
There is a trick that we incorporate into every bedroom we design that can make that room feel just a glorious as a living room, and that is layering! We layer the bedding, comforter over quilt, with varying pillows, and even art, something sculptural and 3D like these real vintage fishing rods over a more “standard” piece of art.
Not a part of the original plan, this is the loft space we never even knew this cabin needed. The original plan was a small area at the top of the stairs, but during construction our clients were able to swing having the builders extend this area to create an actual room, which became the most charming little nook that works for reading and putting together puzzles (something we thought out so well that we made sure the coffee table got bigger).
Bonus - we added a sleeper sofa for extra sleeping space.
This bedroom has the perfect view of the river. In each bedroom we worked to add a small seating area to allow for each guest to have a moment to appreciate the nature around them.
And now onto my favorite room in the house...the bunkroom.
The original plan was for built-in bunkbeds, but when the contractor had difficulty finding a local craftsman who was up for the job, we came up with a furniture solution that would still be a stunner.
Here is where we demanded (okay, strongly suggested) color. We were dying for a moody olive-green moment to make this bunk room even cozier and more special. We could not have asked for a better turnout! After drowning the room in color we filled this little space with knick-knacks to give you the feeling of that down-the-road little tackle box shop.
Let's take this party outside.
Last but certainly not least, the outdoor is where our clients are spending so much of their time. We simply embraced the nature around us with the contrast of the building’s modern style and complimented that with outdoor furniture that offered comfy dining and lounge seating.
I can’t speak for you, of course, but for us over here at TLD we will never tire of looking through these pictures. It was a first for us, partnering to design such a specific type of setting, getting to run with a theme so heavily while making sure things were timeless and complimentary to the work around us ( both God’s and the contractor’s 😆). We might all be now planning a few personal trips out there too!
Hope you enjoyed the tour!
If a vacation home is on your radar, we'd love for you to see how we serve our clients with all of the design, logistics, and install of second homes. And, of course, your regular non-vacation homes too!
