making over a wood cabin into a cozy winter getaway - Upgrade My Stay!
We’ve been dreaming of doing this new series for ages and are so excited to finally release the first episode of Upgrade My Stay. This is a show where we check into vacation rentals with the goal of upgrading the stay experience with some DIY, design, and decor, all before check-out. Our first stop? A cozy wood cabin in Fenelon Falls of northern Ontario.
Carol and Dave were our hosts and had just decided to start renting the top floor of their cabin on the river. It has these crazy sloped ceilings, which gave it some style points, but there were a few things we knew we could improve right away. The cabin was all wood, which made it feel a little dated, but we had two rules: don’t touch the panelling, and don’t touch the floors. We decided to lean into the Canadiana vibe to make sure the cabin reflected the woodsy part of Ontario we were in, but we knew that a little bit of paint on the walls we could touch would go a long way. We painted the wall in the bedroom and living room black and gave the kitchen wall a fresh coat of white paint.
DIY HEADBOARD
The bed they already had looked super comfy, but the large headboard made it feel too big for the room. We decided to DIY a headboard and mount it to the wall so it would be more low-profile. All we did was wrap and staple some faux leather to a piece of plywood with foam and voila! So easy!
Pro tip: put your rug down before bringing in your heavy furniture (like a bed), or you will have rugret.
CUSTOM TV SHELF
They had a large TV sitting on the floor because of the slanted walls, which was a little large and awkward for the space, so we brought in a smaller TV and built an entire custom TV shelf for it. The shelf unit was designed to fit right against the wall below the slope to house the TV, some fun decor, and some rainy day games.
WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Carol and Dave already had some cool things in their cabin that gave the space charm, like a moose lamp that we upgraded with a new, more modern lampshade. We were super excited when Kelsey found even more amazing pieces in Dave’s workshop, and we were able to incorporate a vintage cabinet and a pair of old skis. The cabinet was a perfect fit for the bathroom, but the wood finish was a little rough, so we painted it black to match the other black accents. The skis we put in the doorway for an extra personal touch.
All that was left were a few changes like swapping out the bathroom light for a cute globe light, putting a trim finish on the windows, and hanging some plaid curtains (remember that Canadiana vibe?). At this point, we were close to check-out, which meant it was time for final touches.
We love that the cabin still has its original character, with a few new touches. If you love it as much as we do and want to see Carol and Dave’s reactions, check out the whole video below!