Jamaica Cottage Shop

Hand-crafted cottages and sheds created by Vermont artisans in the post-and-beam tradition.
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SALE ENDS 9/19/22

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Log cabins evoke feelings of comfort and serenity for many. Whether serving as a main home or a home away from home, these cabins are commonly situated in areas far from cities, usually in settings close to nature, such as forests, lakes, and beaches. Get more of a traditional rustic log cabin to the outside of your cottage or cabin by opting for Adirondack Live-Edge or Log Cabin siding. Often when decorating a cabin, people like to go for the rustic log cabin look, to feel cozy, warm, and inviting.


Vermont Cottage A
This cottage was featured on the television series Tiny Home Nation.

Traditional furnishings and décor usually come in muted earth colors that match the wooden structures. However, modern interior design offers more options for color palettes, textures, and shapes. Here are a few tips on how to design your cabin for this rustic log cabin look. You may find these suggestions helpful to make your cabin an ideal retreat for you and your loved ones.


Use Contrasting Colors And Textures 

A log cabin is predominantly made of hard and structured wooden surfaces with varying darkness and hues in earth colors. These elements create a cozy vibe that you can enhance using details with soft and smooth textures like rugs, carpets, draperies, plush seating furniture, and throw pillows.  


To create a contrast with neutral colors, you can consider using bright hues that would brighten up the room. For instance, you can consider using a carpet in cool tones such as green and blue to contrast with wooden flooring. This contrast allows you to add variety to the visual elements.  


Create A Focal Point 

Having a focal point in a room adds visual interest to your interior design. It can also be considered a unifying element for all other design details in a space. Examples of focal points you can consider are decorative pieces such as wall hangings, art installations, or sculptures.  


Interior of the Vermont Cabin open living space
The focal point in this cabin would be the hanging row boat. This detail adds drama to the open-concept living area.

You can also personalize one corner of the room and use it as a focal point. For instance, you can add framed family pictures or interesting items from your collection. This way, you can add your personal touch to your log cabin while enhancing its visual appeal.  


Maximize Your Lighting 

Having adequate lighting is needed to brighten up the living space, especially if your cabin has heavy wooden materials in dark hues. While the dark colors can add to the cozy feel of the rustic cabin, poor lighting can make the interior look smaller than it is. Also, there are times when you’ll want to have an energized space, such as when entertaining guests or having fun activities with your loved ones.  


Here are some of the ways you can liven up your log cabin interior with sufficient lighting: 


  • • Add wall lights, especially for areas with more furnishings and dĂ©cor. 
  • • Place multiple light sources of varying sizes and brightness.  
  • • Put hanging lights in areas with high ceilings.  
  • • Decorate smaller rooms with tall and slim light fixtures to accentuate the vertical space.  

To brighten up your log cabin further, you can use natural light sources and reflective surfaces. Natural light can open up and energize a space, making it ideal for wooden interiors. You can achieve better lighting by incorporating tall and wide windows in your cabin design. 


Meanwhile, reflective surfaces such as mirrors and glass furnishings can make a small room look bigger and brighter. To add more of it to your interior design, you can consider using glass tables, framed pictures, or decorative jars and vases. These items can open up the space by reflecting natural and artificial light, enhancing the room’s brightness. 


 Open Up The Floor And Visual Space 

A room made with wooden structures can look smaller than its actual size. It's because of the dark, neutral colors and heavy materials that create the illusion of a smaller space. Jamaica Cottage Shop cabins and cottages feature open floor plans to help you make the most out of your space. If you're wanting to sport the log cabin look while creating a spacious feeling interior, you'll need to be strategic when choosing furnishings and dĂ©cor.  


The bottom floor of this Vermont Cottage is being used as a summer camp and as a writing studio.

For instance, you can consider taking a minimalist approach in your design by trimming down your furniture to only the basics and using smaller dĂ©cor items. These will open the floor and visual space and make the room look bigger than its actual dimensions.  


In order to achieve the ideal balance in colors and design to avoid having a monotonous or empty-looking room. To do this, you can use bold-colored dĂ©cor or greenery such as plants and flowers. It's one of the effective ways to have interesting visual elements while having more floor space for ease of movement.  


Conclusion 

Having a well-designed rustic theme in your space can genuinely help you and your loved ones enjoy your surroundings. An ideal ambiance should promote restfulness and relaxation, and it should be filled with things that serve your needs. You can personalize your décor and furnishings in a way that would suit the theme, as well as your requirements and preferences. This way, you can move and feel at ease, embracing all the warm and cozy feelings that decorating a cabin can bring.


Celine Ruffle

Celine Ruffle is an interior designer. Her passion for decorating and giving life and color to the house allows her to pursue a career related to it. Celine loves painting and going to an art museum in her free time.

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When we ship out our cottage and shed kits, we send some extra lumber, known on our cut lists as EL. This lumber, included for fixing mistakes or replacing broken pieces, is usually not needed. Kits, stacked on a wooden pallet, include temporary bracing. After you complete building your shed kit, you will most likely have the extra lumber, temporary bracing, and the pallet leftover with nowhere to go. So why not come up with some crafty project ideas for using up your extra wood and lumber? Tossing it in a landfill is expensive and burning the wood in a firepit feels equally wasteful. We prefer the sustainable choice of repurposing the extra lumber into functional pieces of art or furniture.

Here is a slick concept for using up your leftover wood. Try making some small raised garden beds or fence posts.
Pallet lumber can be crafted into raised garden beds or used for fencing.

What Wood Will Be Left Over

Extra lumber in a typical kit will usually include several pieces of 1x4 rough cut hemlock lumber for temporary bracing and one or two 1x12 rough sawn pine boards for replacing siding. Pallets are constructed of rough sawn hemlock and are exposed to the elements as the kit is transported to its destination. The pallet usually has two runners, then several shorter pieces, laid on top of the runners perpendicularly. Thinner strips of wood are used to fill in gaps in the stacked materials to keep the entire pallet stable. These strips, also called stickers, are not needed in the construction of your kit either. You will need the temporary bracing to hold up the wall framing of your kit as you build and can also be used as a substitute for broken or missing framing pieces. In other words, don't start these craft projects until your kit is built.

Workbench made out of rough sawn hemlock lumber pallets is a crafty idea for using up your EL (extra lumber).
Workbench constructed of pallet lumber.

Super Simple Stuff

When I built my 8x8 Vermonter shed kit, I had a couple of 2x4s, and a 1x12 left over. My building partner laid a piece of 1x12 pine lumber on top of the wall beams to create a temporary shelf. The shelf comes in handy for storing gardening tools, flowerpots, and other pieces of lumber. Or chop the pine into smaller lengths and attach it to wooden or metal brackets to build a narrower shelving system.

With a quick internet search, you can find oodles of easy and small woodworking projects. One of my favorites is a candleholder built out of a 2x4 and two horseshoes attached at each end. Another woodworker crafted a small wooden planter for hanging succulents on a wall. Frames for stretching artist-grade canvases are easy to make by cutting 45-degree angles in the 1x4 lumber. Then glue them together to form a rectangle or square. Do you have a drill gun with a variety of drill bits in various sizes? You can drill holes into a 2x4 to hold pencils, pens and paint brushes.  

Intermediate Crafty Projects

For those who are more daring, there are some slightly more challenging projects you could take on. This ergonomic footrest resembles one of our shed ramps yet looks easy to achieve. I found a garment stand built by crisscrossing two pairs of 1x4 boards and attaching a closet rod. Increase the stability of the clothing rack by making a shoe shelf on the bottom with a piece of 1x12 pine. While scanning Reddit I found this excellent YouTube video of a modern take on an Adirondack chair made out of pallet wood. The final result is a piece of furniture that mixes minimalist style with a rustic aesthetic that can be stored flat. Scan Pinterest to find all kinds of art projects mixing and matching various pieces of lumber blocks together to create geometric designs.

Let Your Creativity Run Wild

Once you have your craft project constructed sand it down and add some primer and paint. Practice wood burning or hand engraving to personalize with names, drawings of cute animals and plants, or repeating patterns. Modge podge cut outs from magazines, old books, or photocopies to create a collage on your woodworking project. Since this lumber is essentially disposable you don’t have to worry about mistakes or making your final product perfect. Now is the time to experiment!  

Rustic Architectural Details

Recently one of our community members sent us photos of a barn kit they built as an addition to their home. They let us know that they did not want to waste any part of the kit. They ingeniously took apart the pallet, stained the wood, and attached the runners to their ceiling for a faux beam. With the smaller pieces of hemlock, they created matching windowsills to tie the room together. The extra pine was attached to the windows outside to create custom shutters.

This made me think about other ways you could tie your extra lumber into your building so I came up with a few more ideas. Rough sawn brackets can be fashioned to mock the post and beam framing used in the interior of your building. Build two of these to attach a small overhang over your door. Or use them to build a mailbox post. Practice carving stickers into ornate shapes and add to the trim under your roof.

  • Custom Barn Interior used as a kitchen addition
    Pallet pieces were used to create faux beams in the ceilling
  • Pallet joists were recycled into rustic window sills.
  • Left over pine siding pieces have been converted into shutters.

Conclusion

Sustainability is one of our core values so we love any opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle. Creativity and upcycling can go hand in hand to invent new arts and crafts projects. As a result these projects can decorate your home or be given as gifts to friends and family. Have you built something interesting with your Extra Lumber? We want to see your photos!  

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With remote working opportunities on the rise, it’s an ideal time to get set up with a home office. Create a separation from your work and household by converting your shed into a backyard office. Some people might choose to use a spare room, basement, or attic space. A backyard office is superior because it provides a little more distance from kids, pets, chores, the TV, and other distractions. If you have clients visit you will give them a professional environment when you convert your shed into a backyard office. Other perks include cutting out long commutes, creating a smaller carbon footprint, and potential increases in property value.

You can convert your shed into a backyard office like this Home Office design built for a winery.

When you are turning a shed into a backyard office there are a few things you will need to consider. Size, your comfort level, and how you are going to lay out the floorplan will all be important factors for creating a tranquil work area. Here are some tips for planning out the best space for you.

How Much Room Do You Need?

First of all, you are going to need to know if your shed is going to be large enough for your workspace. A telecommuter who mostly works from a computer can probably get away with a relatively small space. If you have clients visit or sell products you will want a sitting area and storage space. When your office doubles as a tiny manufacturing facility then you will really need to consider a larger area, an Equipment Shed perhaps.

Clean everything out of your shed so you can take measurements. If your existing shed does not accommodate the amount of space, you will need you can always buy a shed kit that will meet your requirements. Another option is to built a kit as an addition to an existing structure.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

This 12x14 Writer's Haven was set up as a backyard office with a built-in desk.
The four season Writer's Cottage includes plenty of double-pane insulated windows and a built-in writing desk with shelving.

You will probably be using your shed year-round. You will want to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Loud noises like sirens, barking dogs, and screaming kids are disorienting when you are trying to run an online meeting or while chatting with a client. This is where insulation is going to be very important. Proper insulation will create an energy-efficient interior that will also dampen any outside noise.

Spray foam insulation installed in an existing shed is possible, but it will be a challenge. Swapping out shed doors and windows will also be necessary. You can save yourself some trouble and buy a four-season shed building kit or prefab structure custom-built to your needs. Either way, you will want to make sure the floor, walls, and roof are insulated, the walls and ceiling have some kind of sheathing, and the windows are double pane.

Light It Up

A solar panel can be installed on the roof of a backyard office for off-grid electricity.
Solar panels are great for powering lights or charging batteries in your workshop.

If you aren’t working by candlelight or using a typewriter, from one of our Writer's Havens, you are going to need electricity. Good lighting is essential for writing, reading, drawing or any activity where good visibility is required. Several outlets for your computer, printer, and other devices that need a charge can be placed in strategic areas. For safety, you should also have a CO/Smoke detector placed in each room. An exterior light will brighten up the outdoor area when leaving at night.

Often your electrical system can be tied into the grid, or you can see if a solar option will work for your needs. Whichever way you go it is always best to work with a licensed electrician. If you are planning on buying a fully assembled post and beam office, we can install a basic or custom electrical package that will fit your needs. Once you have electricity you can contact your local internet provider to get set up, or you can probably use the Wi-Fi from your home.

Other Creature Comforts

This small workspace could fit in nearly any of our sheds.
A tiny desk for a laptop means this tiny home has a work from home office solution.

In most cases, an outbuilding that has been insulated and has electricity running to it will be all you need to get started. But you might want to add a few more amenities for you, employees, and any other visitors. A moderate temperature can be achieved with a heat source and air conditioning. A heat pump can provide both heat and cool air and utilizes electricity for output. Wall-mounted propane heaters or wood stoves are other ways to get heat into your office.

Another area of interest might be plumbing. Usually, you can run into your home if you need to use the bathroom or wash your hands. There are plenty of situations where close-by plumbing could be beneficial though. You might not want customers or your employees tracking mud through your home. Or it might be more convenient to have a sink and bathroom nearby. Keeping your space and tools clean is easier with a sink nearby. If any of these scenarios apply installing plumbing is the way to go.

You could choose off-grid options (composting toilet or separate outhouse) or tie your plumbing to an existing septic or sewage line for a traditional setup. Work with a licensed plumber to set up a bathroom or sink to ensure fresh and waste water are installed correctly and follow local building codes.

Setting the Scene

Once you have your shed converted into a comfortable, insulated space start planning your layout. Get measurements of your office shed and draw the floorplan on graph paper. Think about traffic flow. Ask yourself how much storage you need, or if certain items will need quick and easy access. Draft out where your desk, shelving, and other furniture will be placed.

A Garden Shed can be converted into a backyard office like this artsy setting. Painting by Mindy Fisher and ceramics by Rising Forest Pottery.
Make a vision board of your ideal workspace by cutting out photos of furniture from catalogs and gluing them to a photo of your shed interior.

Another fun way to plan out the space is to create a collaged mockup. Take a photo of the inside of your finished home office. Find furnishings and décor that you like online, in catalogs, or take pictures of furniture you already have. Print and cut out the images and glue them to the photo or assemble the collage digitally. This will give you a rough idea of what the space will feel like. You can play around with different styles to get the right atmosphere before you spend any more money.

Finally, don't forget to finish off your cottage office with curtains, framed art, and house plants. Bins and baskets can be used to sort recycling. Carts can be moved around as needed, and racks can utilize wall space for hanging coats, sweaters and hats.

Conclusion

A backyard office can be a wonderful addition to your property whether you are using it for telecommuting, a small business, or a hobby. Setting up your space for comfort, utility and a style that flows with your brand will encourage creativity and productivity. As you finish out your space work with contractors who will keep you on track, will do the job right and follow local building guidelines. Visit this playlist on youtube for a selection of suggested building kits for home offices or workshops. If you have any tips for setting up the perfect backyard office space, we’d love to hear them.

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The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow.
This Vermont Cottage looks at home by the oceanside or even the desert.

Waterfront property, as everyone knows, is highly sought after. Having a place by an ocean, lake, pond, or river to live and relax is invaluable. Easy access to a place for swimming, fishing, ice skating, and boating is a bonus for most people who are searching for land. Add in the potential for income with vacation rentals and it is no surprise that beach houses and ocean bungalows are in high demand.

Anyone lucky enough to own beach front property will want to create an inviting home for their families and guests to rest and gather. Post and beam cottages and tiny houses, with their rustic style, fit into any coastal setting quite nicely. Over and over again our customers show interest in our Vermont Cottage Option A. An uncomplicated design, with a bearing wall porch and sleeping loft, makes it optimal as a seaside abode.

OFF-GRID OCEAN BUNGALOW

The Vermont Cottage is an ideal design for setting up for off-grid living. This particular cottage kit, constructed by a desert dune, would easily look great as part of a seaside resort. The light gray paint job on the pine board and batten siding gives the building a coastal vibe. Amplify the oceanic style by upgrading to Western Red Cedar shingle or shake siding. Solar panels were installed nearby for an electrical source.   

Stepping inside the bright interior feels summery and many personal touches abound. The custom constructed staircase, made of a light-colored material, resembles driftwood. White walls reflect the natural light that pours in from the ample number of windows. Sliding glass doors open out to another uncovered porch equipped with a picnic table.

The layout of this cottage is striking and streamlined. One half of the cottage, dedicated to a well-laid-out kitchen includes a full-sized refrigerator, sink, and woodstove. Plenty of cabinets and counters provide storage and space to prepare meals. The custom staircase reaches up to the sleeping loft. Cubbies attractively hideaway clothing and linens. Under the cottage loft is a small sitting area with a sofa, chair, and flat-screen tv. Next to the living room sits a narrow powder room, with composting toilet, sink, and shower. Between the kitchen and sitting area, a small bar height table was added for eating or for working on a laptop.

This beach house interior has a custom built staircase to the lof.t
This beachy living room has a custom stairwell leading up to the sleeping loft with storage cubbies.
This small space is bright and airy, making it feel larger than it actually is.
This cottage interior is finished out with a, breakfast bar, kitchenette, and a woodstove.
This small desk functions as a workspace or a place to eat, while enjoying the scenery.
A tiny desk for a laptop means this tiny home has a work from home office solution.

RIVERSIDE RENTAL

This Vermont Cottage was featured on the hit TV show Tiny House Nation.

Nearly a decade ago one family purchased and built one of our Vermont Cottage kits. They owned a small boat rental business on a river in Tennessee. Instead of sinking money into an apartment rental, they decided to downsize and live closer to their growing business. This felt possible because they had preteens who loved being outdoors. They figured that later on if they outgrew the space, they could rent the cottage out. Eventually, that is exactly what happened.  

This Vermont Cottage was set up in a way that could sleep four people comfortably. Building the cabin in a warmer climate allowed many of the kitchen appliances to be placed under the porch. The open living area was converted into a sleeping area for the parents with a custom-built murphy bed. Up in the loft sleeping areas were created for the two children. A large, uncovered porch, built attached to the cottage, was furnished with comfy patio furniture. Extending the living areas outdoors made it possible for everyone to have room to stretch out.  

Now this cottage is used as a family-friendly retreat for vacationers. The family who built this cottage is earning money on their tiny home investment and can visit anytime it is not occupied. People near and far can benefit from their lovely setup and get a taste of river life in a tiny home setting. Watch the episode of Tiny House Nation this cottage was featured on.

The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow.
If you live in a warmer climate you can build your kitchen under the porch.
The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow. View the cottage interior.
Log cabin wall sheathing and a fireplace make this a cozy cottage.
The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow. View the cottage interior.
For colder days a tiny kitchenette was built inside the home.

LIVING ON THE LAKE

The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow. This tiny home was built near a lake.
The 16x20 Vermont Cottage A is one of or most popular cottage kits.

Some people love living near a lake or pond because they prefer bodies of freshwater nestled in a forest setting. Obtaining a piece of lakeside property can be rare since so much of it has already been developed. Building a small cottage can be a sustainable way to set up a comfortable place to relax within a small footprint. Bring summer camp memories into your adulthood by setting up your own camp building.

This customer kept their tiny home simple and built a Vermont Cottage shell without insulation. This cottage was going to be used during warm months only. The property did not have access to electricity or have a well, so it was set up much like a camp. The location was also tricky to get to, off an old logging road, so building a kit was a practical decision.

The Vermont Cottage as a beach house or ocean bungalow. View the cottage interior.
We love how the interior of this Vermont Cottage was decorated. The interior is minimalist yet warm and inviting.

Inside they opted to use the loft for storage. A simple wooden bed frame was placed inside, along with other seating accommodations, desks, and dressers. Baskets, blankets, and decorations were sprinkled throughout to design an enticing and warm environment. The hinged barn sash windows, installed with screens keep mosquitoes at bay.

CONCLUSION

As you can see the Vermont Cottage is a desired design for building near any type of body of water. Its simple design is appealing to most people. The rough sawn hemlock post and beam frame is strong and can withstand many climates. The porch extends the living space outdoors for added comfort and the spacious loft provides room to stretch. It can be built for year-round living, with insulation, or for seasonal use only.

If you have any questions about this design, please contact our design team. Or visit the product pages to start designing your small beach cottage.

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Writer's Haven Garden
YOUR GUIDE TO DESIGNING THE PERFECT SHE SHED

She sells she sheds by the shore. No! She sells she sh… What does she sell again? Well, it may be the seashells that she sells, but it is a she shed that you want. And while the shore is not an option, you still have your backyard where you can install a perfect little hideaway for you and your thoughts exclusively. Ok, maybe not exclusively. An occasional guest now and then is welcome. All you need to do now is win the war against your partner over who gets the spot in the garden. Have they caved already? Good. Let’s begin.

What’s the Plan? 

Before you start building the perfect she shed, you need to decide what you will be doing in there. The main idea is to have a tranquil space for you to enjoy your hobby. Is it going to be a reading nook? A yoga or art studio? A space for gardening? Or maybe a home office? Now, when many people must work remotely, this is an ideal solution to distance yourself from your home and manage to keep your private and professional lives separate. If you will be using the space year round it may be a good idea to set up for four season use with insulation. When you know the purpose of this space, you can design it accordingly. 

Steps for Building Your Sanctuary

After you have reached the verdict regarding the activities that will be going down in your woman-cave, two options present themselves. If you have a derelict structure in your garden, you might want to repurpose it. An old kid’s playhouse or a tool shed can quickly and easily become your cozy little slice of heaven. You just need to pack all you find inside and get it out of sight. A fresh coat of paint, some structural work to make it safe, and you’re all set.

Alternatively, you may want to start from scratch and build an entirely new she shed. You can even use a pre-cut kit. There are many different designs to choose from such as a storybook cottage in the woods vibe to more modern solutions. If you opt for a DIY approach, here are the steps for building a perfect she shed:

  1. Build a sturdy foundation – A properly built foundation will keep moisture away and keep your building level. Look at our Site Preparation guidelines for the best shed foundation practices. 
  2. Build your shed – Our complete kits come with everything needed to construct your build from the ground up. Most designs include framing, flooring, siding, roofing, doors, and barn sash windows.
  3. Or buy pre-built – Use our online shed configurator, or work with a designer, to conveniently order your dream she shed delivered to your site.
  4. Add a coat of paint – This is when the real fun begins. Paint your shed in light colors. White is always a classic, but pastel tones are a beautiful soothing feminine option.

Time to Decorate the Interior

Surely you have collected a pile of interior design magazines, and your head is already bursting with she shed design ideas. Although these magazines feature high-end designs, you don’t have to splurge to create a similar effect. All you need is a bit of time and effort. Firstly, think about the furniture you already possess. Perhaps you can refresh the color, refurbish and make it look as good as new. Additionally, flea markets and antique shops are a treasure trove of inexpensive vintage items. They are also a gold mine of decorating ideas.

Tastefully decorated interior of a pond house cabin used as a she shed.
This she shed was cleverly decorated with wall paper applied to the ceiling, walls and floor. A plastic lining covers the floor to protect the paper.

It’s important to keep in mind, though, that a she shed is not exactly abundant in space. Therefore, keep the clutter to the minimum and plan carefully what you want and where you want it. If this will be your space for entertaining, it’s a good idea to equip it with a mini-fridge, set of glasses, etc. When it comes to decorating, there are no rules. You are free to do whatever makes you happy. Just remember, a she shed is there to provide a space for relaxation, dreams, and inspiration.

8x12 Dollhouse with roof color upgrade and flower boxes.

Have Fun With the Exterior

With your structure finished and painted both inside and outside, it’s time you decorated the exterior. You want to make it inviting and welcoming. You can do this by surrounding it with greenery, which will also add to the secluded atmosphere. Climbing vines or ivy are a fantastic choices to achieve a rustic look and cozy feel. The abundance of plants will make the spot feel tranquil, and taking care of plants is always good for the soul. Use pea gravel for the path to your she shed, and add flower pots alongside it.

Moreover, setting up an outdoor patio is an excellent idea. It will be a magical place for a girls’ night in summer. A hammock, a porch swing, a couple of chairs and a small table is all you need. Maybe a fire pit, too, for when the nights get colder. Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment with decorating. Flower boxes, or an old bike as a flowerpot holder is a whimsical detail that will transform your she shed’s exterior. An old wooden ladder, painted, of course, is another pot holder solution.

Enjoy the Final Result

Reasons for building a perfect she shed are manifold. If you are a mom with a busy daily schedule, this is your escape to tranquility. If you have recently moved in with your partner, this is an ideal way to ease the transition by having your space. Perhaps you have a hobby that requires a special area, such as painting or gardening. Or you want to establish some boundaries between your home life and your work life. Whatever the reason, enjoy the process of creating something that will be yours—space where you can have some quality time with your thoughts. 

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Best Places to Add Custom Decorative Millwork

Pond House Interior decorated
Prefab Pond House interior on display at a Flower and Garden Show.

Custom decorative millwork is an excellent choice when you want to go vintage with your home improvement and interior remodeling projects. Nothing can come even remotely close to the aesthetic appeal of real wood.

This is especially true if the wood was crafted by an experienced, skilled, and seasoned contractor with deep knowledge of the material. For this reason, millwork will increase your home’s beauty and add real value to your property.

Custom cabinetry, antiqued bookshelves, closets, candle holders, and so on, can significantly increase the price of your home and add to its functionality. Custom crafted millwork makes your property more usable by giving you more storage space. The range of options is endless. Whether you are into gorgeous staircase banisters or decorative crown molding, custom millwork is a fantastic addition to your property.

Since placing matters considerably, we’re going to mention the best places to add millwork design and the most common custom millwork options and ideas for your home.

Custom Decorative Millwork for Your Property

If you are a homeowner, you are about to face the challenge of making several essential choices regarding custom millwork in your home. The process can range from quite tedious to exciting and fun, but with the right guidelines, it is doable. It is all about the level of quality and type of wood in the end.

Types of wood greatly matter when making a choice about adding millwork wood. You must take softness, color, grain, rot resistance, and strength into consideration. These are vital characteristics that ensure your millwork is attractive and durable enough.

Consider the following wood types:

  • White oak – oak is known as hardwood. It’s durable, reliable, and heavy, which is why it’s most commonly used for furniture and cabinetry. Its wide grain is a property that most appreciate. White oak means reasonable prices and high quality.
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  • Walnut – also known as hardwood, walnut is well-known for its heavy grain and attractive deep brown color. The price is a bit higher, though.
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  • Fir – depending on the client’s needs, fir can be made light or dark by adding a variety of different stains. Fir is one of the most flexible wood types around.
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  • Birch – birch is an outstanding medium to hardwood with a light reddish color and fine grain, most commonly used with custom decorative millwork.
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  • Cherry – medium weight, deep reddish-brown wood, perfect for adding a nice finish with a fine grain.
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Level of Detail

Now, aside from the type of wood, there is also the level of detail to consider. It all depends on your budget, the style of your home, and the type of project. Some homes demand highly detailed millwork while other homes need something less conspicuous. Traditional millwork almost always includes more details, while the contemporary style is more about minimalist appearance. If you can’t make up your mind between the two, talk to your contractor.

Custom Decorative Millwork Ideas

Here are a couple of custom millwork project ideas for your home:

  • Wainscoting and crown molding
  • Custom millwork creations for your kitchen
  • Storage and media centers for your living room
  • Elegant bathroom vanities
  • Custom home library and office
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Let’s delve deeper into the best places to add decorative custom millwork.

Top Places to Add Custom Decorative Millwork

If you want to add decorative millwork to your home, but you’re having second thoughts on where to put them, here are a couple of ideas to help you manage.

Decorative ceiling moldingThe Ceiling

The first place you should look into is the ceiling, particularly the place where the ceiling and the wall meet. This is simply a perfect and most visible place for molding. It will cover the seam where the ceiling and wall meet.

The best type of millwork for this purpose is a cornice, the most common type of molding. It comes in a wide range of design patterns and sizes to match your home’s architectural style and give your property some stylish edging.

The coffered ceiling is currently one of the most popular solutions simply because it adds just enough elegance to pretty much any décor. You can also add a ceiling medallion around your light fixture in the center to give your room a nice dressing up.

Window MillworkMake Your Windows Stand Out by Bringing Some Character

The surrounding area of your windows is an excellent place to add some decoration. You can top off windows in the interior by adding a pediment above the surrounding. Both window surrounds and casings are a fantastic frame to view the exterior and the outdoors. You also make your windows more durable that way.

The best thing about bringing some character to your windows is that the window casings can be detailed or extremely simple. That is up to you. If the installation of your windows left you with unwanted gaps, this is how you can solve that problem with ease.

Well Dressed Walls

You can add a great accent to any room by simply adding some decoration to a chair rail. This goes particularly well with dining rooms and kitchens. That aside, this is also a great way to protect your walls from furniture scratching.

Interior of mansion in Newport Rhode Island
It can be fun to take ornate elements from mansions and apply them to your tiny house.

Place your millwork at about 36 inches from the floor. The appeal of paneling and wainscoting is also quite popular among stylish homeowners. Both paneling and wainscoting sit well between the baseboard and chair rail, complementing the room’s furniture, wall coverings, and millwork.

Along the Floor

Every home has some sort of baseboard or base to hide any gaps where the floor and wall meet. It’s also one of the best ways to protect the wall finish. If we take a look at the tradition, this baseboard or base is commonly composed of 3 separate elements: the cap, the baseboard, and a shoe.

A bit of a more modern approach led to baseboards coming in as a single piece for a cleaner look. The best way to address any preference is to use a decorative baseboard, ranging from 2 to 8 inches.

Conclusion

A custom decorative millwork design is one of the best ways to add architectural appeal and value to your property, home, etc.

No matter what millwork you choose, a casing or a crown molding, you should remember that millwork adds a visual presence that can turn your average home into a luxurious mansion without forcing you to break a budget or invest huge amounts of time and effort. If you want to achieve such an effect, adding your custom decorative millwork to the right place greatly matters.

Natalie Hutchins has been an avid blogger for 5 years, with particular interests in Engineering and related technologies. She has consistently contributed articles to top AEC and industrial publications. Her other interests are in blogging, movies and photography.