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This is My Home: Log Cabin Looker
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2021/11 – November
A reverence for the heritage embedded in the walls of a log cabin, combined with concessions to 21st century comforts and conveniences have given Craig Duncan his cozy mountain getaway.
Craig Duncan
Craig Duncan’s half-century-old cabin is proof that even in modernity the log cabin style is a viable home option. Perched on a summit just off Highlands Road, Duncan’s 1,200-square-foot log cabin was purchased in 2014 from his father, Donald Duncan, who bought another home in the area. “I fell in love with it right away,” said Duncan, a professional interior designer who works in and resides part-time in Atlanta, GA.
He decided to use his design skills to update the cabin using local, skilled craftspeople, local woods, and other area supplies. “All along, I wanted to add touches, but not lose the integrity of the original log home,” said Duncan.
Some distinct details include hand-collected river rock on the floor of the master bedroom shower and in the kitchen’s backsplash. Wide-plank oak floors were refinished. A new roof was added. Some walls of exposed logs were painted and some walls were covered with sheet rock in order to establish contrast inside the home. Tongue and groove exists between the exposed ceiling logs.
He recommended that anyone purchasing a log home avoid “dressing it up too much or making it look too modern … to not make it something that it’s not.” He refers to his cabin’s decorating style as “modern cabin grandma/comfortable southern.”
A large stone fireplace displays a collection of local pottery and face jugs, one of which was purchased at the Bascom in Highlands. In the kitchen is a wall display of antique red barn paintings, and on the fireplace-flanking, built-in bookshelves, constructed by Duncan’s father, are not only books but antique porcelain platters and
more pottery.
And, since many log cabin designs tend to be dark, he suggested letting as much light penetrate through windows as possible instead of covering them with heavy window treatments – and using lighter fabrics and colors inside.
A large window in the living room area enables Duncan to see the mountains from the sitting “nook,” and a covered porch added in the 1980s is a well-used outdoor room with comfortable seating and an expansive mountain view.
