Jason's Log Furniture Reviews

Before having children, my husband and I would frequently take our motorcycle out on rides through the countryside and sometimes across entire states.  He would captain the iron horse and I rode behind him.  Never did I have the desire to have my own motorcycle and be the quintessential “biker chic”.  I enjoyed the relaxing ride I had from the back of the beast, watching the scenery pass us by and enjoying the fresh air that enveloped us.

On nearly every ride I fastened a point-and-shoot camera around my wrist and had it at the ready.  It can be quite difficult to get quality pictures while traveling down the road at 60 miles per hour, but I wanted to capture the essence of rural America from the seat of a motorcycle.  Most of the shots I took were of barns.  The foreground of those pictures was nearly almost blurry, but if I aimed the camera just right and acted quickly, I was able to train the autofocus on the structure and end up with a shot that had clarity in just the right areas.

As anyone who wields a camera yearns to do, I selected some of my favorite photos and had them printed to display in my home.  Each of them has a lot of sentimental value to my husband and me, so I wanted something special on which to display them.  What better way than on the Cottage Barnwood Bookshelf…barn pictures situated on a bookshelf made of reclaimed barnwood.  This log furniture’s structure is crafted of Red Oak planks taken from 1800s tobacco barns.  I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to my favorite symbol of American agricultural history.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 JHE’s Log Furniture Place

None of us are perfect.  No matter how hard we may try, even the best of us make bad decisions from time to time.  That is particularly evident in election years, when the “perfect” politicians that are running for office are publicly called out for anything they have ever done that could be considered distasteful.  Of course, most of us don’t lead lives that are anything similar to those of a politician, but we are all human.

In fact, it is the experiences of our past, both good and bad, that contribute to the person we have become today.  It gives us character and makes us unique.  Hopefully there are those in our lives who love us for who we are and wouldn’t want to change us into something different.

Rustic log furniture has similar properties.  It is rough and distinct, showing the effects that Mother Nature has bestowed upon the trees that make up the piece.  The Cedar Lake Cabin Log Sofa Table above shows how the hand peeling process leaves bits of cambium, the darker areas on the logs where the bark used to be.  Knots and beetle tracks are visible throughout the legs and braces, and the cracks and checking give the illusion the logs are drying and adjusting.

Some people spend hours of their time converting a piece of humdrum furniture into something that looks like it has been well-used and has had a lot of “life experience”.  I once spent endless hours refinishing a boring oak baker’s rack that I had rescued from a curb, painting and crackling and staining in order to instantly age it.  I am so proud of that rack now, and the best thing about it is my kids can’t do anything to mar its finish and it barely shows any dust.  It is such a carefree piece, and it has loads of character.  Why go to all of that work when you can purchase a piece that already has character, a rustic finish, and a lifetime of experience already?  The perfect rustic furniture for me is the pieces that proudly show their imperfections.  And if I don’t have to slave for hours in order to make them look that way, well…that’s all the better.

  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 JHE’s Log Furniture Place

Here in the heart of the Midwest, football season is well underway.  That, along with the song of the tree locusts, is one of the first indicators that fall and eventually winter is right around the corner.  Nights become cooler, long summer days shift to shorter daylight hours, and outside decorations evolve into pumpkins, gourds, corn shocks, and hay bales.  Warm comfort food like chili, soups, and casseroles are commonly served to ward off the chill.

Fall temperatures can really fluctuate and wreak havoc on someone who is sensitive to the cold.  We experienced the first nip of fall chill this past weekend and I was left searching my closet for warm sweatshirts, pants, and socks.  I even turned our fireplace on to inject a little more warmth into our living room.  The flames and heat made the room very cozy.  I could have just curled up and enjoyed that spot for the rest of the day.

To get our kids out of the house and enjoy a little family time together, we decided to go to the mall to walk around since chilly and damp weather was not conducive to outside activities.  As we journeyed around the various stores, we came across a display in one store that really caught my eye.  It was a living room layout, lit warmly and accentuated with some rustic decor.  The red cedar log sofa in the display was so warm and welcoming, I felt like I was at home in front of my fireplace all over again.

If I were to describe the perfect place to chase away the chill of fall, it would be on a comfy couch with a fire roaring, my family surrounding me, a good movie on television, and a steaming bowl of chili in my hands.  Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 JHE’s Log Furniture Place