Bring Home Your Mountain Vacation
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| Pikes Peak Colorado |
In the
heat of the summer, why not ditch the hot windy Midwest for the cool mountain
air?
Recently,
I (I being Traditions' guest writer for the summer) vacationed in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. Everything about the trip was
peaceful and gorgeous. We stayed in this beautiful old craftsman style house that has been in
my friend's family since 1940. The craftsmanship in the home was detailed, yet
natural.
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| A sign directs us in life |
By definition, a vacation home should be smaller, more intimate
and charming, not to mention the plain fact that there is less to clean. The essential
features to a proper vacation home are a front porch, rock fireplace, a comfy couch to sit on, bedroom, kitchen
and bath. The porch to sit on in the cool summer evenings, the couch and fireplace to relax on and
around which to tell tall-tales, the bathroom to wash up, the kitchen to fry up the day’s
catch of Rainbow trout, and the bedroom, of course, to lay your head down after
the day’s work. I call it play.
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| Leather is indestructible |
Green Mountain Falls, at an altitude of 7,800 feet, is located
north of Pikes Peak and 10 miles west of Colorado Springs, off U.S. Highway 24.
The town population has less than 700 year-round residents, as most folks
now-a-days prefer to commute, or just come for the summer.
It is tucked in a peaceful
mountain valley and its natural assets include three creeks, waterfalls, a
lake, rugged cliffs, forests, wildflowers, and abundant wildlife. The nature we
witnessed on our daily hikes was breath-taking. One day, we hiked to the top of
a mountain and then over to the town reservoir. From there, we could see Pikes
Peak covered in Aspen and pine in all of its glory; it was simply amazing.
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| Aspen leaves rustle in the wind |
The trip
got me thinking, though: How can I bring the relaxing, effortless feel of this
vacation home with me? I think it comes down to one central idea: be natural in
your design. The mountains are all about serenity where nature speaks softly.
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| Shapes and patterns |
To give your home the feeling of a cabin retreat, it is great to use rich
colors and textures, like brown leather. It adds a woodsy, refreshing feel to
your home. Adding simple but beautiful accents in different shades of green
will give your home a lush, fresh feel. You can do this by adding pillows or
throws.
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| Pillow with fern and maple leaf |
The most
important thing to remember is to live in that place of serenity that the
mountains encourage. Find a few special pieces of artwork that show beautiful
landscapes reminiscent of the mountains and add those to your home. A
Meissenburg sign is an ideal way to give your home a cabin feel. Most have
customizable words, indicated by the green arrows in the picture.
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| Add your own place name |
In the
end, it's all about making your home feel like an oasis from everyday. All you
need is find your happy place and go from there. And if you bring back a woodsy
pillow or a sign of the great times, you will always remember the great time.
