We knew we wanted a cabin near Glacier NationalPark, but I don’t think either of us realized just how much fun this was going to be. After we acquired our cabin, StepsAway 254 – named for the fact that it literally is only “steps away” from the entrance to Glacier National Park and the village of West Glacier, we began the process of making it “ours”.
This meant acquiring furniture, decorations, kitchenware, … well everything. We might have underestimated what was involved, but it’s been a great learning experience. The cabin was remodeled in a Craftsman-style, which made it a little easier to select the furniture. One can see in this living room picture, we tried to reflect that style in the day bed, end tables, coffee table, and recliner. Then we added appropriate lamps, rugs and wall hangings.
The decorating is where we were able to add some personalization. It’s not real clear, but the print of the grizzly bear behind the recliner is by a local West Glacier artist who also happens to be our neighbor! It belongs in this living room!
The focal point of the room has to be the gorgeous, vintage poster of St. Mary’s Lake hanging behind the sleeper sofa. We discovered this gem while shooting the breeze with Cowboy Ron at his antique store Cowboy Cabin in Whitefish. (Ron is an exceptional conversationalist.) We had it framed in a local shop in Columbia Falls, where apparently it initiated some lively debate about just who photographed this and when – 1960’s? – 1970’s? Regardless, we knew it was going to be a permanent resident of StepsAway 254. It’s nearly the size of the two picture windows!
We followed this theme throughout the cabin. Adding a rightly-sized dining room table, perfect not only for meals, but also evening puzzles. An attractive, but not overpowering rug, helps to partition the dining room while protecting those beautiful wood floors. This is the location from which the photos in Seasons Through a Cabin Window were taken.
The bedroom was easy. We found a craftsman style king bed platform (Amazon has everything!) and some more “local art” from a Kalispell thrift store!
We want our cabin to be personalized, but we also wanted our guests to feel as if it was also “theirs” during their stay. So you won’t find any pictures of our children or any family keepsakes. Our guests are free to make their own memories here. And to share those memories, we were inspired by the writing desks that appear throughout the Park’s Lake McDonald Lodge. Hopefully, our guests will spend a few moments writing about their adventures in the cabin’s guest book in between penning numerous postcards to friends and family at the writing desk.
