A couple weeks ago, our custom deer from Faraway Lovely arrived and last week we hung in on the main fireplace at the cabin. The pictures don’t do it justice (the renovation debris doesn’t help), but I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. It’s such a special, hand-crafted piece–hand-crafted right here in Idaho!– that we love so much!
When we first got in contact with Chase, the genius behind Faraway Lovely, we were able to pick what size we wanted (we went with the largest since we have a pretty tall fireplace here (albeit, narrow), and also got to pick the fabric from the Pendleton Woolen Mills store. Each piece uses real antlers that have been shed–no animal was harmed in the making of these at all!–and then he sculpts the busts and covers them in Pendleton wool fabric of your choosing. The veins, muscle definition, the way he positions the fabric so intentionally on each piece is truly a work of art.
We chose not to see it after he was finished, and before he sent it, so it would be a surprise and we were overwhelmed while pulling it out of the box. It may not look like it in some of these photos, but it’s nearly 4 ft tall! It’s huge! Here’s the pro photo Chase took before sending it to us that he later shared.
One small, but significant thing we are adding to our cabin is red. The color. I have next to no red in our home and it has always scared me a bit. I have no intentions of going crazy with it, but we’re definitely focusing on warmer tones to create a more cozy atmosphere at the cabin. This buck was the perfect introduction.
Hanging it was a cinch! It literally took 3 minutes? Each Faraway Lovely piece comes with a mount that you attach to your wall/fireplace first and then the buck just slides right onto it.
The cabin is really coming together now. Appliances are being delivered soon, we’re battling snow and a steep hill to get our kitchen countertops here, and cabinet fronts will be here next week! We just might have a working kitchen by Christmas after all.
We did make one other very big, a little scary, (a little controversial) decision this week. We’ve decided to paint the walls and stain the vertical beams. When I mentioned it on Instagram, it was pretty split between strong opinions for and against and so I’m not going to pretend that everyone is going to be in love with our decision. But we can’t wait! The more things we add to the cabin–new fireplace, new floors, new kitchen, the more we realize the natural walls that have yellowed/oranged over the years are demanding a lot of attention. Even the floor to ceiling stone fireplace takes a back visual seat to the walls. Even the view outside. (The after buck photos were taken on kind of a gloomy day so the walls look a little darker, but in reality they are closer to the color they look in the photo of Chris hanging the mount on the fireplace).
Here’s a pretty good depiction:
While we don’t hate the wood and never have–it is a little bit…overwhelming since the walls and ceiling are all one plane. We’re just excited to give them a fresher look, while still keeping the whole vibe modern rustic.
My only fear was, would it still feel like a cabin? It’s confirmed: a cabin can be bright and clean and white and wood and rustic and modern. We want ours to be all of those things. We were going to wait a little bit before actually doing it, until things settle down, but it turns out it’s a whole lot easier to paint a wide open space when there’s no furniture in it. So! The painters are starting Monday and said it should be a very quick job. EEeee!
Yay for A-frames! it’s well past to recognize them as the unique and special places that they are! So glad to see you giving this one new life, and LOVE your plans for painting and staining!
Hi there! We have an A frame very similar to yours, and painting the walls is the first thing we did- even before we moved anything in! It took a ton of coats- I think at least 3-4. The color of the beams is original. Let me know if you want to see some pictures- I cannot copy in this section:)
I love the idea of the white ceiling and stained vertical beams! I think it’s going to look awesome in combination with the fireplace stone!
I LOVE THAT BUCK! What amazing craftmanship! Also, two thumbs up on painting. The wood isn’t as knotty as it could be, but you’re totally right about it detracting. Will you go with an opaque paint or more of a wash/stain?
Love the second inspiration image. Light, bright, and most natural of all. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.