LODGE DESIGN
LODGES
Whether skiing, hunting, shooting or fishing you need to git yo lodge on!
Whether skiing, hunting, shooting or fishing you need to git yo lodge on!
Now that winter has arrived, we just want to get the hell outta town to a romantic, woodsy getaway. Lodges were originally only for crowned heads to hunt or robber-Baron's to fish, but now the global middle class has gotten all lodge on us as skiing has become so popular. And, as usual, the new lodges have also become part of the competition.
Places like Telluride, the Adirondacks, Montana or the Chesapeake Bay now have to tolerate the screech of Gulfstream-Five's or BBJ's coming and going as "lodge homes" have become so popular.
After a day shushing across the moguls, blowing the the shit out of a skein of geese or reeling in the biggest fish in the lake (again) the athletic outdoorsy crowd repairs to their lodge-style home - maybe a small-ish (relative term) condo - or a newly built 30,000 sq. foot "Chateau du Neige".
PICK YOUR LODGE
ALL OF THE HOMES ABOVE WERE BUILT FOR HUNTING, FISHING OR SKIING
OLD WORLD LODGES
(Chateau de Ganay)
This 16th century chateau is still a full-time hunting lodge - owned by Charles de Ganay, a former president of the International Falconry Association who has spent a lifetime hunting wild game and raising falcons. The entrance hall is lined with moose skulls and other trophies collected in Mongolia, Pakistan, Alaska, and Turkey.
(Lodge Loo, England)
This English Gothic style lodge is no longer for shooting but it maintains its great flavor whilst zhuzhed up with the sexy orchid and brown accents.
The foyer of this old Belgian shooting lodge with its antler trophies and checked textiles screams old-world country lodge.
(Schloss Neuschwanstein, Bavaria Germany)
This crazy, fantasy-like hunting castle was built by Germany's King Ludwig II and used primarily for rendezvous with his lover - Hans Wagner(yup, you read that right!) Walt Disney took his inspiration from Neuschwanstein for the Magic Kingdom.
(Sandringham Castle, England)
The winter residence to four generations of the royal family since 1862. The Windsors traditionally spend the New Year here and enjoy hunting through the winter on their royal steeds.
AMERICAN "WESTERN STYLE" LODGES
The American west has developed its own style over the last 150 years. Masculine materials like natural stone, rough-cut wood and crude clay bricks were mixed with the "style of the times" - Victorian - which was quite feminine. This became the unusual, American Western style.
(Source: Elle Decor)
This contemporary lodge is set within a barn-like structure. The lack of tsotchkes is unexpected and refreshing as "country-style" homes are usually chock-a-block with crap. The raw woods and shades of blue are refreshing.
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
Does it get any more flawless than this? Grandly scaled architecture mixed with modest furnishings and textiles are perfect. If that plaid carpet was a Persian style rug, it would be much more stuffy.
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
The dining room which is a part of the above house is a tad too stuffy for my taste - but I don't live there...I used the photo to show the ceiling details which are great!
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
This bedroom is awesome; country architecture and antiques paired with plain-ish fabrics...nothing flashy.
(Designer: Carrie Rand)
A country style barn with brick floors is whipped up with an eclectic arrangement in earth-tones. Notice one chair is an English Regency style (foreground) and an Adirondack twig rocker mix well.
(Designer: Carrie Rand)
The structural details here are what makes this room work. The cotton plaid rug, simple cotton curtains and the bedding are all simple and cozy.
(Designer: Carol Weaks Interiors)
This log cabin home is tight!! I love distressed the painted country pieces in the earth-tones.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
The dining room of the same house utilizes some fun printed linen curtains and solid colors for depth and warmth.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
This magnificent stairway with the split-log treads and natural twig-style handrail of twisted vines and roots epitomizes the western style lodge.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
Another angle of the same living room has solid-color upholstery mixed with handmade style textiles and carpets.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
This screen porch is outfitted with natural Victorian-style wicker which looks perfect on a log cabins porch.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
You can be rustlin' up some grits and roadkill in this rustic kitchen while Duke is out waxing his saddle.
(Chateau de Ganay)
This 16th century chateau is still a full-time hunting lodge - owned by Charles de Ganay, a former president of the International Falconry Association who has spent a lifetime hunting wild game and raising falcons. The entrance hall is lined with moose skulls and other trophies collected in Mongolia, Pakistan, Alaska, and Turkey.
(Lodge Loo, England)
This English Gothic style lodge is no longer for shooting but it maintains its great flavor whilst zhuzhed up with the sexy orchid and brown accents.
The foyer of this old Belgian shooting lodge with its antler trophies and checked textiles screams old-world country lodge.
(Schloss Neuschwanstein, Bavaria Germany)
This crazy, fantasy-like hunting castle was built by Germany's King Ludwig II and used primarily for rendezvous with his lover - Hans Wagner(yup, you read that right!) Walt Disney took his inspiration from Neuschwanstein for the Magic Kingdom.
(Sandringham Castle, England)
The winter residence to four generations of the royal family since 1862. The Windsors traditionally spend the New Year here and enjoy hunting through the winter on their royal steeds.
AMERICAN "WESTERN STYLE" LODGES
The American west has developed its own style over the last 150 years. Masculine materials like natural stone, rough-cut wood and crude clay bricks were mixed with the "style of the times" - Victorian - which was quite feminine. This became the unusual, American Western style.
(Source: Elle Decor)
This contemporary lodge is set within a barn-like structure. The lack of tsotchkes is unexpected and refreshing as "country-style" homes are usually chock-a-block with crap. The raw woods and shades of blue are refreshing.
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
Does it get any more flawless than this? Grandly scaled architecture mixed with modest furnishings and textiles are perfect. If that plaid carpet was a Persian style rug, it would be much more stuffy.
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
The dining room which is a part of the above house is a tad too stuffy for my taste - but I don't live there...I used the photo to show the ceiling details which are great!
(Ferguson and Shamamian, Architects)
This bedroom is awesome; country architecture and antiques paired with plain-ish fabrics...nothing flashy.
(Designer: Carrie Rand)
A country style barn with brick floors is whipped up with an eclectic arrangement in earth-tones. Notice one chair is an English Regency style (foreground) and an Adirondack twig rocker mix well.
(Designer: Carrie Rand)
The structural details here are what makes this room work. The cotton plaid rug, simple cotton curtains and the bedding are all simple and cozy.
(Designer: Carol Weaks Interiors)
This log cabin home is tight!! I love distressed the painted country pieces in the earth-tones.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
The dining room of the same house utilizes some fun printed linen curtains and solid colors for depth and warmth.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
This magnificent stairway with the split-log treads and natural twig-style handrail of twisted vines and roots epitomizes the western style lodge.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
Another angle of the same living room has solid-color upholstery mixed with handmade style textiles and carpets.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
This screen porch is outfitted with natural Victorian-style wicker which looks perfect on a log cabins porch.
(Designer: Carol Weaks)
You can be rustlin' up some grits and roadkill in this rustic kitchen while Duke is out waxing his saddle.
(Source: Unknown)
This smart-looking upstairs lounge area is in a southern fishing lodge. It has a card table and two bunk-style banquets which do double duty as extra sleeping spaces. This room uses all natural woods and woven materials to express the waters influence.
(Designer: Ralph Lauren - Telluride, Colorado)
As many of you have gathered by now - I'm not a fan of Ralph Lauren's decorating, I find it totally over-stylized - too much like a department store window. This is his "Double-R Ranch" in Telluride, Colorado which I think looks like the set of "Bonanza" on the Ponderosa Ranch - It has every ubiquitous western-lodge-style collectors item.
(Designer: Ralph Lauren's Telluride Ranch)
Yes, it's absolutely charming - but too stylized which goes against the western feel of rugged and humble.
(Designer: Ralph Lauren's Telluride Ranch)
The flavor is definitely there in these two spaces, but their collection of priceless Indian blankets casually piled up at the foot of the bed is too too.. I feel like this is from the Roy Rogers museum...
(Designer: Elizabeth Dinkel, Telluride)
This awesome stair hall with the stone, wood and iron is clean-lined, open and masculine. No cutesy twig tables or western-style wall hangings.
I think this decor is basically unattractive - but I like the lodgepole architecture of the ceiling and the wall of windows.
Rustic kitchens are cozy and feel authentic when crafted from rough-sawn timbers.
This lodgepole-style porch furniture fits beautifully with the landscape and the architecture of this lodge.
This family room has a creative bunk-bed with a large "barn door" that slides over the dresser when the beds are in use and hides the beds during the day.
(Designer: Elizabeth Dinkel, Telluride)
A cozy bedroom wallpapered in a Victorian-style cabbage rose pattern and complemented with other floral patterned print fabrics.
(Designer: Priscilla Peters)
LOVE this all wood room. The rough-hewn siding on the walls and ceiling make this bedroom a cozy retreat from the jerks visiting you.
(Designer: Priscilla Peters)
The most basic of rooms! Walls of recycled wood mixed with mostly 2nd-hand furniture recovered in solids works well to give a warm inviting look to this lodge!
(Designer: Penny Drue Baird)
Ms. Baird knocked it out of the park with this lil ol' yippe-ki-yay bedroom! Love it all, especially the walls.
(Designer: Stan Topol)
Stan Topol is one of America's best designers! It's proven again with this space which he's made look like an old lodge in which the decor has "happened over the years" not purchased last month.
(Designer: Lynn Morgan)
I just wanna be in that tub - bubbles and all.
This kitchen is off-da-hook! Very western and pure - no overdone gee-gaws or fancy things... Dining in the kitchen promotes the more casual "lodge lifestyle".
(Designer: Suzanne Kasler)
This humble bed - made from natural poles and hung with simple/honest white cotton bed curtains implies luxury without all the silly fringe. The undecorated log walls and sisal carpet are decoration enough.
(Chalet Baumatti)
This bathroom will only get better looking as the years go on; the daily wear of the wooden fittings will obtain a handsome patina over time.
This bathroom will only get better looking as the years go on; the daily wear of the wooden fittings will obtain a handsome patina over time.
This big-ass barn-like room is made cozier with a wall of bookshelves painted black(for contrast), a huge wampy Scandinavian chandelier(for whimsy) and an eclectic assemblage of furniture. The room is new - but looks old because the timbers and ceiling are all reclaimed wood.
The warm palate of this room would make anyone relax - it's the room everyone wants to be in. Worn leather, ethnic accents, bright sunlight and books, books, books...
AMERICAN EASTERN STYLE LODGES
(Source: Martha Stewart Living)
This is a good look...but I'm sure Martha - the great imitator of other peoples style - caught those Chamois (who's antlers now grace her foyer walls) in her parterred garden in Seal Harbor with a jaws-of-death bear trap... then made a tasty Chamois in pappardelle with a red pepper coulis...
(Designer: Ken Fulk)
Simple, clean and masculine! This small lodge has fresh white walls, stone floors and a warm vibe! No tsotchkes, no weathervanes, no Tiffany-style lamps.... c-l-e-a-n!
(Designer: Priscilla Peters)
I LOVE THIS ROOM! An old American Indian technique transformed into products for use today. The Birch Bark wall panels make this room a show stopper when used with the pine timber trim.
I love this log fishing lodge in Virginia. Obviously renovated with a new kitchen and clean lines. The old stripped Georgian mantle applied over the brick is perfect with the rustic elements of the house.
(An original Adirondack bed)
This photo is of an original Adirondack bed. At the turn of the century the "authenticity" of your Adirondack home was important - all building materials were to be harvested from your own property or the immediate area!
(Source: Philip Hooper and Sally Metcalf)
This is the 21st century version of the above; a simple, clean "envelope" with one or two special pieces. (not 50 or 100 Ralph Lauren!)
(Source: Cococozy.com)
Stone, wood, glass and earth-toned colors are the western recipe for cozy!
This ski lodge in Canada epitomizes the perfect lodge in the Laurentian Mountains, which is the Canadian continuation of the Adirondacks. Regional architecture and indigenous furnishings in sage green, umber yellow and rich reds are natural go-togethers in this style home.
A perfect juxtaposition! A hand-crafted desk surmounted by the gilt-framed landscape, a the Moroccan rug and an arts-and-crafts period chair - all create an elegant vignette.
This double-decker porch in the Adirondacks looks like it was built by a crack-crazed carpenter....but the twisted wood and vines actually have an earthy-Zen feel.
(Source: Traditional Home)
LOOOOVE it! This hunting lodge is finished with glazed cabinetry - giving it a soft, aged appearance. The flying birds, waterfowl artwork and grass blinds complete the feeling.
(Tudor Farms, Cambridge Maryland)
This 30,000 sq. ft. home is one of America's most elaborate hunting lodges. There ain't much you can't kill on this property... This is the main living room which is elevated and cantilevered over the marsh with panoramic views for miles. The owner wanted the main living room to feel like a treehouse. Done.
(Source: Traditional Home)
This traditional look exudes a comfortable feeling in this Carolina lakeside fishing lodge in the Highlands, North Carolina.
These handcrafted headboards are the bomb!
The leaves are too twee, but the idea is great and well executed here.
(Source: HGTV)
Yes, red, white and blue never go out of style... They are also great colors for lodges as they feel crisp and "cottagey".
OMG just check this out, its soooo cool.
EUROPEAN CHALETS AND LODGES
(Source: Decorating Ideas)
This Scandinavian ski lodge is made of chunky exposed timbers - I love the modern Swiss Miss Thang goin' on.
Check out those huge, chunky granite slabs surrounding the fireplace and TV - gotta love that.
A Swiss style "nook" bed rocks this house! The wood details make it work and these beds are always outfitted with some sort of fur throw or pillows as shown here.
(Source: El Meuble)
This French ski lodge is totally elegant; placing formal-ish furniture in a rustic envelope is always a good combo.
(Designer: Isabell Lopez Quesada)
This apartment has been completely sheathed in raw pine making it feel like a freestanding lodge.
Another Swiss ski lodge uses reclaimed wood for its interior walls. The modest X-base table and benches are great for small spaces and large crowds. The wool blankets and pillows on the benches are contemporary and keep their asses warm.
(Nina Ricci ski chalet, Klosters, Switzerland)
If you like traditional, Ms. Ricci's home offers style and coziness with English and Dutch antiques.
(Designer: Axel Vervoordt)
Vervoordt is the king of "less-is-more"! His formula for years has been choosing simple but awesome antique pieces - mix them with plain linen upholstery (think Restoration Hardware's new look) and it's always classic and timeless.
CONTEMPORARY LODGES
Who says you gotta do the wild-west thing in a lodge? This woody, natural space focuses on the stunning outside views - not the indoor decorations.
This rockin' contemporary home takes full advantage of the surrounding views. The split level assures that all rooms have light, bright views.
I think this is the best!! The cast cement walls and floor with the two-toned woods is pure and simple. The furniture is low-key, high-style and majorly sophisticated.
This is IT! OMG this is freekin' awesome. I love the glass wall between the two rooms and the steel encased fireplace.
The other end of the above room - do you love this or what?
This contemporary ski lodge predominantly uses stone for most hard surfaces - not wood like many ski lodges. The built-in banquette makes this room stand out.
This South African hunting lodge is set at the edge of a mountain and focuses on the views so the architecture is kept simple. Brilliant.
Yup, there is such a thing as updated traditional - and here it is! The new trestle table with the old Windsor chairs stained maple.
Another updated Traditional - all the clutter and superfluous "decorations" are stripped away allowing the classically-lined wing chairs to perform as sculpture.
(WADesign Inc., Lake Tahoe)
How fabulous is this??? Windows on all sides; woodsy, architectural and not so enormous - AKA "human scale." Notice the HUGE-ass stone they used for the hearth - love that!
(WADesign Inc., Lake Tahoe)
The dining room end of the above great room is "grounded" with the large slab-top Nakashima style dining table. Nothing in the room is elaborate or highly decorative, even the art; they've allowed the natural exterior views to be the focus.
You can do it, I'm here to help!