If you’re renovating a rustic home or just dreaming of bringing some cozy calm to your city apartment, look no further than blogger and mom Jess Ann Kirby’s Woodstock, Vermont retreat which is chock full of inviting cabin decor ideas. When Jess and her partner Craig bought the home, it was dated and painted in colors Jess describes as “dark or drab.” “We wanted our house to feel bright, warm, and inviting while also functional for a family with a toddler and pets,” she says. This meant finding the right color palette for the family’s minimalist-but-cozy aesthetic.

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Bring on the Beigeing

Updating the space meant veering away from traditional cabin decor ideas like dark wood paneling. In the kitchen, the family used Beigeing to provide a warm, neutral backdrop. “We knew we wanted a neutral beige. After looking at so many swatches, Beigeing was the perfect color,” Jess says. With light-reflective undertones, the color brought natural light into the design. “I love how it looks different throughout the day depending on the light,” she says.

Mix modern and traditional

A ranch-style home in a rural mountain town, the builder-grade furnishings weren’t providing the charm and character the family wanted. They drew on modern farmhouse style and Nordic influences to set the tone. “Our goal with the space was to have a mix of modern and traditional. In some ways, the house was a blank canvas because there's nothing special or unique about the style of home, but that's what makes it fun to renovate,” Jess says.

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Focus on shared living spaces

As their second renovation (their first big DIY renovation was their previous home in Rhode Island), they knew they wanted to make the main focus the living room and kitchen. “It’s where we spend the most time,” she says. The big challenge was to make the existing space work for them. “We weren't planning to do any big structural changes. We gutted the kitchen and living room but we had to make the layout work,” she explains.

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Add light with a Timeless off-white

The home’s bathroom was outfitted in builder-grade details. To create a lighter space, they opted to paint the walls with Timeless, an off-white color in creamy undertones. The neutral colors, though light, bring warmth and coziness to the bathroom by reflecting natural light. They used a dark color for the lower cabinets, adding details such as a vintage-inspired rug and clear vanity lights to create a more intimate, lived-in look.

Use neutrals to create coziness

Neutral paint sets the tone for patterns and textures that feel clean and calm. Details like dark faucets, a cast iron wood stove and light wood cabinets compliment the palette, drawing on iconic cabin decor ideas for a sense of coziness. The result is a rural American home that feels warm, lived-in and as cozy as a Nordic cabin.

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