Friday Favorites: Rustic Design, Outdoor Fireplaces, Winter Retreats

Last week I looked at Industrial design, particularly in the kitchen. Today, I’m contemplating Rustic design, which is really all over the place. You can throw yourself in completely, as Ralph Lauren did in his retreat in Colorado:

Image from Architectural Digest

Or scale down a bit. I like Rustic when paired with Industrial; the two are the perfect synthesis of old and new, as in this kitchen:

The marriage of wood and iron gives this room great character.

But when I really think of Rustic I’m drawn to the lodge or cabin. We all have a place we dream about during the week—an escape from the hectic pace that seems to consume us during the work week.  Growing up in the Rocky Mountains, my family’s weekend retreat was any place in the mountains where we could pitch a tent with a lake or river nearby.

Later my family built a cabin on a lake, and every Friday we would load up the family car and drive two hours to get to our place in a town that catered mostly to summer visitors. If you were brave enough and could manage the sometimes icy or snow-packed roads, you were treated to a winter wonderland of ice skating, ice fishing, and cross-country skiing, as well as an abundance of otherwise shy animals like moose, elk, and mountain lions.

Even today—especially during these winter months—I’m drawn to cabins surrounded by snow and the solitude of the mountains.

Maybe a little too rustic and secluded?

Perhaps your idea of Rustic involves the snowy slopes and a warm outdoor fire for après-ski? Below is an outdoor fireplace Ironhaus did for private home at a ski lodge in Montana.

Or if your idea of rustic means indulging in luxury, then maybe this indoor fireside retreat in Jackson Hole is more to your liking. Ironhaus did the fireplaces and the wrought iron doors:

A nice retreat in the French countryside wouldn’t be so bad:

If you’re only retreat this weekend will be to steal yourself away for a bath:

But then again, as I’m looking out the window at that cold blue sky with snow off in the distance, I’m thinking this might be the place I’d like to get away to this weekend:

To see more Rustic Retreats visit our Rustic Retreats Pinterest board!

Whatever your idea of Rustic is, and wherever you like to spend your weekends, I hope this weekend finds you where you want to be.

Ironhaus is going to be making some big announcements starting Monday. Check back on our website early next week to see what’s new from Ironhaus!