lots of lamps, and art work

Yes indeed -- lots of lamps!! Table lamps, a standing lamp or two -- accent lamps etc. All help to create a warmer, cozier room.

An area rug might help too ......

But artworks -- including hanging up quilts or tapestries on the walls -- would really really help out too!

Old quilts (check EBay for ideas) come in lots of styles and colors. Check O----stock.com ((this site won't let us print out that name because of business problems)) for tapestries!

Check out the Log Home decorating books on Amazon.com! There are LOTS of them! :)

My DH and I rented a luxury log cabin in VA for our honeymoon. It was absolutely gorgeous. Here are some pics.

Hope this helps.
Ruth

well there is a pretty recent thread on painting paneling that I contributed to. I have a log house too but my inside walls are knotty pine and they put abestos shingles on the outside (the logs are fully enclosed now). I painted the inside and it looks so much better. I hate to repeat stuff on the threads especially when they are showing in the same list but here is a before and after shot:

{{!gwi}}

This after shot is really a during shot since this was taken about 5 days after we brought the house and it was not finished yet...

{{!gwi}}

msjay, that's a beautiful transformation.

My log home also has paneling on the interior walls (exterior walls are cedar logs), and the ceilings are wood as well. Until 2004, we had wood floors too! Talk about living inside a box of wood!

Luckily, the guy who built our home put in lots of windows, although he also put 4-foot-wide eaves around the entire house, which block some of the light. We also have skylights in the kitchen area and in the guest room above the garage. We have two French doors on the south side, and the other entry doors are half-light doors.

That said, it is still somewhat dark in our home, especially at this time of year. And our gray slate floors make it a little darker, too. We have several lamps, but most of the lighting comes from fixtures that are mounted on the beams in the ceiling or on the ceiling itself.

Other than additional lighting, I'd suggest light-colored accessories (pillows, throws, rugs, artwork, lamp shades) and, where possible, surfaces that are shiny enough to reflect some light (like granite kitchen counters rather than butcherblock or laminate).

I would love to see the insides of other log homes that have been "fixed up" or modified. These houses are more challenging than a regular house and we can all help each other with ideas. Roorezi that cabin you rented is to die for. Renee can we see pictures of your sisters house inside?

the ceilings of my house are beadboard wood in the mudroom, plywood in the offices, some kind of acoustic tiles nailed into furring strips in the bedroom and livingroom, and tile wallboard in the bathroom and kitchen. ugggggh

Thanks everyone for your help. Uxorial, sounds like you really have a feel for what she's up against. I forgot to mention she has wood ceilings with exposed beams too. I'll try to post some pictures with all the lights on. Thanks again for all your ideas. What about a mirror somewhere? renee&pam