Introducing The Little Red Cabin Series | An Heirloom Log Cabin on the Lake

Walking into a place that feels like stepping back in time is one of my favorite things. It makes me feel connected to the past and I dream of all the stories its walls have held over the many years. This cute little Northern Michigan log cabin gives me exactly that feeling. The little red cabin has been a part of my life for as long as I remember, as it was located next door to my grandparents’ house (now my parents’ house), growing up, and it has always held a special place in my heart. It was a summer cabin for a sweet older lady name Sarah when I was a kid and then my grandparents owned it after her. It was lovingly referred to as “Sarah’s Cabin”, even long after she no longer owned it. I remember visiting with Sarah, playing with my cousin and brother on her back porch, rolling down the steep hill, and playing around this little cabin a lot growing up. My children now enjoy it as well, rolling down the hill and running and playing all around it. The cabin and yard hold many memories for multiple generations of our family.

Once my grandparents owned it, my grandma enjoyed decorating the little red cabin. She collected vintage treasures and antiques, and embracing its vintage character, she added many of her own vintage treasures to its small spaces. The cabin has a very small open floor plan, with a living area, dining area, and simple kitchen and a beautiful old field stone fireplace centered in the middle of the three. The whole cabin is probably around 700-800 sq. ft. and it was built sometime around the 50s or early 60s. The walls are log on the exterior walls and board and batten on the interior walls. It is small, quaint, cozy, and charming, and it’s everything a little lake cabin should be.

In addition to the main living areas, there is a small bathroom and two small bedrooms, equally as charming as the rest of the cabin. These rooms are also a mix of log walls and board and batten, and they are furnished with vintage beds, furniture, and cute vintage treasures.

The cabin sits on a small but steep hill, with old wooden stairs leading down to the lake. These days, it’s in need of some repair and restoration because of its age and minimal use over the last several years, but it’s a timeless gem with all the vintage goodness.

While my grandparents have both passed on, the little red cabin remains in the family, now belonging to my parents. The vintage treasures, placed by my grandma, and some by Sarah before her, still adorn the walls and the furniture she chose is vintage perfection. The whole cabin feels perfectly locked in time, in the best way. The happy memories this old lake cabin holds, far beyond my lifetime, make it all the more special. Walking through and seeing the antiques and decorations my grandma so lovingly collected and placed, no doubt with help from my grandpa, makes me feel connected to them as well. So much of them lives on here, and I’m thankful for that.

This place that holds so many memories for me, for generations before me, and now for my children, is an heirloom treasure and I hope to continue making memories here for years to come. Stay tuned as we begin to tackle cleaning up this little cabin and bringing some life back into its long vacant spaces, while still keeping the special treasures and vintage charm….