The old cabin had certainly seen better days, but like the ragged doll or frayed favorite blanket of childhood, it held such nostalgia. For decades the family had made the pilgrimage from Florida’s sweltering summers to the sanctuary of their mountain getaway, happily cramming two adults and four little girls into a rudimentary 14 by 28 foot structure.
Eventually they built a substantial house on the property and abandoned the lodge in favor of more spacious, less Spartan accommodations. Yet even as it slowly deteriorated, “Papa’s Little Red Cabin” held a place in their hearts.
Time changes things. Papa has since passed away; the children are settled in distant cities with children of their own. So it was a desire to provide this younger generation with a country retreat — a place to make their own sweet memories — that inspired the family’s matriarch to call Mary Adams and Paula Benton of Cocoon Interiors and ask them to resurrect the shack.
“It was literally falling apart,” Paula recalls, “termite eaten, lots of mold, a bathroom that was barely functioning. No lighting except fluorescents.” And it was tiny: less than 400 square feet containing two bedrooms, a bath, kitchen and living space. The ladies had their work cut out for them.
The designers looked to the past to inform the project. “We remembered our grandparents’ old country houses — the way people were practical and pragmatic. They built things in and made things do double duty,” explains Mary. “We wanted to maximize functional space, but our goal was also to keep the family’s memories intact. Anything we did had to enhance or celebrate them — not take them away.”
They had to take away most of the existing infrastructure, however. “Every room was gutted to the studs,” says Paula, “with the exception of the heart-pine paneling in the center room.” With the help of contractor Jackson Wine, new light pine plank floors were installed to create freshness and visual continuity throughout the space. To convert the summertime cottage into a cozy year round nest, insulation was added and all the crank-operated, jalousie windows replaced. “We did keep the original screen door,” notes Mary, “for sentimental reasons.”
The keystone of the cabin — the sitting room and kitchen area — more nearly resembled a foyer than central living space. “You could only really seat one person. There was a rocking chair, that’s it,” Paula recalls. A low profile banquette, fitted with under-seat storage, was tucked into the corner and a distressed stool — one of the few original furnishings that could be salvaged — was enlisted as a side table.
Then there was the kitchen, “a horrible galley kitchen — barely operational. It had a back door, blocked by the refrigerator, which we closed off,” Paula notes. “But it really was just a dark cave — there was no light,” Mary continues. “So we added a big window to open the space visually.”
The reconfigured u-shaped work area was fitted with hand-built heart-pine cabinets, light wood countertops and space-saving compact modern appliances and fixtures. Reclaimed tin ceiling tiles line the backsplash and are repeated on a decorative screen that camouflages the side of the stainless steel refrigerator. A semi-circular, drop-leaf table and two stools complete this eat-in kitchen. “Originally, the family ate all their meals on the porch…not so great in bad weather!” laughs Paula.
The designers reworked the adjoining children’s dorm room to be a multi-function space, providing overflow seating and comfy sleeping with wall-to-wall platform beds linked by a narrow center panel; a perfect perch for one of the many geometric game boards that decorate the cabin’s walls (and also function as impromptu dinner trays).
To conserve space, they opted for a tall row of narrow shelves, wall hooks, hanging baskets and under-bed storage in lieu of a closet or dresser. Here, as in all the rooms, the lighting is wall mounted, saving precious floor space, and the surfaces and fabrics are low maintenance and kid-proof, saving precious recreation time.
As eager as they were to preserve floor space, Mary and Paula actually borrowed some from the master bedroom to address the miniscule bathroom, adding sufficient square footage to accommodate an ample walk-in shower. Bright white hexagonal tile and the clever use of mirrors behind the sink transform what was merely a “water closet” into a comfortable, functional and darn near luxurious bath.
With structural work complete, the designers set about decorating the cabin in a down-to-earth, Americana style consistent with the setting: clean lines, geometric patterns and every-day fabrics — all in muted shades of red, white and blue. The exterior was gussied up with a new coat of paint. Landscape designer Jon Merrill gave the foundation a new stone façade, installed a stone walkway and nestled a simple surround of native plants around the cabin.
The designers felt it was a job well done, but most important was the family’s reaction to the new, improved cabin. “The daughters were very concerned that it would have nothing of the flavor that they remembered, but they’ve all been thrilled,” says Paula. “So we feel like we’ve succeeded.”
And “Papa’s Little Red Cabin” is ready to house a new generation of memories.