Who doesn’t love a log cabin? They’re cozy and cute and functional in many ways. They remind us of a simpler time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your modern home comforts present in them.
Although log cabins are made of wood, they don’t have to be in the middle of the woods to work. Have you ever thought about installing or building a little log cabin in your own garden?
What would you use it for? A rustic cabin bar for the summer months, or a comfortable reading spot? You don’t need a mansion to have a library, just a well-insulated log cabin, and a nice, deep armchair.
The possibilities with log cabins are endless, but to prove our point, we’ve put together 12 examples of totally awesome small log cabins to inspire you.
They aren’t all in domestic settings, but there’s no reason they couldn’t be. We wonder which tiny cabin will be your favorite.
This Small Log Cabin In Montana
This log cabin really has a great Mountain View, and no wonder because it can be found in Montana. We just love that this cabin uses whole pine tree trunks, instead of halves or slices.
The raw, pointed logs are so cute, it almost looks like a perfect little gingerbread house.
It has only 800 square feet of floor space, and we expect there’s not a lot of headroom in the bunk room on the upper level, judging by the pitched roof. Still, what a cute and compact log cabin to start off our list.
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A Colorado Cabin
This little cabin is even smaller than the last. It’s made from standing dead spruce and has a compact 600 square foot of space. It’s obviously a one-bedroom lodge, but there is no bathroom on the floor plan.
Perhaps it’s a part of a complex where the cabins share facilities like kitchens and bathrooms. For a tiny cabin, we think it’s so cute.
For an overnight hunting lodge trip or a stop-over on your way through the country, what could be better?
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Little Minnesota Cabin
This Minnesota cabin is perfectly positioned for some lakeside views. With double doors and full-length windows, it’s the essence of symmetry and simplicity.
Having said that, the wood letter work on the deck railings is really quite fancy. A nice deck, even a tiny one, is a must for a log cabin, we think.
The decking porch may be the biggest difference between a shed and a cabin when you first see it. It immediately says rustic, log cabin.
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Woodland Log Cabin
This is truly tiny, but that means one thing to us, a garden cabin. This was built by one man, and if you want to know how, just click the link.
The stone deck is quite inspired and actually goes really well with the reclaimed-style wood. The question is, what would you use it for? If you swap the window and door for full-length French doors, it could be anything.
Then again, if you’re going to put huge windows in that particular cabin, we might be tempted to put them in the back as it looks like there’s a stunning view behind the cabin. It really depends on what you want to use it for.
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Oakland, Maryland Cabin
We can’t figure out exactly what it is that makes this next log cabin look so modern while looking so much like it belongs in the deep, ancient woodland.
Could it be the color combinations of the mid-dark wood paneling and the industrial gray?
Whatever it is, somehow this miniature house makes tiny living seem like a modern construct rather than an old-world idea we are coming back to.
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Sugar Magnolia
This log cabin is called the Sugar Magnolia, and we see why. It’s just so sweet. The traditional porch and grid-style door and window combined with the modern gray is such a cool blend of old and new. We just love it.
It is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom house, and the little nook on the left side is where the dining table and benches are. What a nice space-efficient tip. Having a built-in dining table can save a lot of space.
A traditional dining table and chairs need ample space around it to move the chairs in and out and get around it, but the benches here don’t need to move. Now, that’s a handy tip.
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Walden
This is a cool design where the deck is sort of encompassed inside the house design, not added on like an afterthought. We wonder if that would make the front window a little redundant, though, as it’s likely to be pretty dark in there.
But wait…what’s this? Two windows above the porch. That should make it more pleasant and bright inside the main room. Nothing makes a small cabin look smaller than a lack of natural light being able to access it.
Making sure you have enough windows and choosing doors with panes in them as well will help this issue.
It’s especially vital to ensure ample windows if your cabin is in a woodland location, as even less sun will be able to get to it during the day.
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Rocky Mountain Guest Cabin
We just love a tiny log cabin made from whole trunks, like this one. It looks like it’s grown out of the forest somehow. The natural trunk pillar in the center of the stone porch is just sublime.
The tiny windows are very sweet, but we’re not sure how practical they are at letting light in. Perhaps this cabin is a writer’s retreat and is designed not to permit the distraction of being able to see anything out of the windows.
We’re not judging. Whatever works for you.
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Small Luxurious Log Cabin
Small but luxurious woodland living. This cabin definitely has the wow factor. The tiny upstairs balcony looks like it would be the perfect place to perch with your morning cup of Joe and take in the splendor of nature.
The stone chimney is a great feature too. Drawing lots of attention and making it look really homey. If you can add a stone effect chimney to your cabin, then absolutely do.
They look so great and contrast the texture of the wood with the pebbles beautifully. A traditional log cabin should use as many natural building materials as possible, so this is a great design choice.
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MODERNI Log Cabin Kit
Of course a woodland or mountain top log cabin possesses superior charm, but you can get the functionality and appeal of a log cabin for your own garden.
This log cabin garden-room kit is a lovely mix of rustic design and contemporary decor.
The light wood brings a traditional cabin design into the 21st century, while the traditional windows and country-style patio doors add a touch of nostalgia to the design. You don’t have to keep it up to date, though.
A dark stain on the exterior and replacing the wood decking with a natural stone porch will bring this little garden cabin back in time a hundred years or so.
Whatever you use it for, make the design your own by taking inspired features from the log cabins on this list and applying them to your cabin.
A little wood-burning stove would make this cozy cabin an evening hotspot for entertaining all year round. Use your imagination to make your perfect garden getaway out of this.
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Glamorous Log Cabin
We can’t decide if this is the best cabin of the lot, but it’s the one we’d like in our gardens the most.
Compact and incredibly stylish, this mid-colored wood garden cabin is perfect as a home office, where you can escape the chaos of family life or as a sun room for lazy afternoons spent with a book.
We love the little terrace on the side too. What would you place there? A small bistro table and chairs, the barbecue to give it a little protection from the elements, or just a lovely, traditional porch-swing for the evenings.
What we love most about this is the feature end wall with all the log ends. It looks like a firewood store at first glance, and then you see the potential of the space inside those gorgeous, huge windows.
The only thing that could improve on this little cabin is a string of warm-glow fairy lights over the door. They’d reflect in the glass and make the whole garden look magical at dusk.
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