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Cowboy COMFORT
By Rita J. King / Photography by James Ray Spahn / Styling by Colleen Macomber
Horse lovers Curtis and Tammy Ferney found the perfect place to build their Idaho home… just 700 feet from the last one.
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Exterior View: This is a horse lover’s home, and the open pastures for Tammy and Curtis Ferney’s six horses to graze, not to mention cowboy boots on the front porch, are instant reminders. Inside, the elegant simplicity of leather seating, rawhide light fixture, and river rock hearth completes the rustic flavor. |
After 20 years of living in their Rexburg, Idaho, log home sandwiched between the natural wonders of Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park, Curtis and Tammy Ferney thought they’d opt for a change of pace. But why mess with a good thing? Not only did they decide to build another log home, they also stayed put. Well, kind of. They did move—700 feet away.
“This home reflects who we are,” says Tammy. “We live in the West, and it’s part of our culture.”
When Curtis and Tammy were ready to upgrade their dwelling, Curtis took matters into his own hands. He went to his old friends at nearby Yellowstone Log Homes, who built the couple’s first log home, and modified one of their floor plans.
He flip-flopped the dining room and kitchen, which opened up the space to the great room. He also added two bedrooms above the garage. It’s the perfect setup for the couple’s stage in life: living space on one floor and play space for their grandchildren above.
The 3,400-square-foot design is filled with special features that are quintessentially cabin, including Swedish coped logs with a saddle-notched corner, 23-foot ceilings, an impressive river rock fireplace, and rough-cut hickory floors, all in keeping with the home’s natural look.
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From a floor plan that favors abundant open space to the Western cowboy theme in keeping with the owners’ passions to the view of the Grand Tetons, this quintessential cabin in Idaho hits the log home lifestyle right on the mark. |
The log walls are a blend of Western wood species befitting a rodeo champion, including spruce, pine, and fir. The cabin-grade logs lend a rustic feel. “The logs aren’t perfectly symmetrical,” Curtis explains. “They have a natural look but are harder to finish.” (Curtis and son Jesse spent 200 hours smoothing the 10-inch logs with an orbital sander.)
While a rustic, unfinished look certainly describes the appeal of the Ferney’s home, the process of building it went smoothly and without a hitch.
How so? They knew what they wanted. Skyler Steed of Western Builders in St. Anthony, Idaho, offers his advice: For those looking to build a log home, start off by figuring out exactly what kind of look you’re after.
“You can go from rustic right to the milled look,” he says. And that’s just how it worked out for Tammy and Curtis’ second round of living the dream.
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Kitchen: The marble bar in the kitchen was crafted from a single slab of 5-by-9-foot granite measuring an inch-and-a-half thick. |
Master Bedroom: The master bedroom features an antique trunk that belonged to Curtis’ great grandparents. Family heirlooms from Tammy’s side of the family are mixed throughout the décor too, including a hutch carried across the Plains by her great-great grandmother, a Mormon pioneer. |
Home Details:
Square Footage: 3,449
General Contractor
Western Builders
Log Producer and Designer
Yellowstone Log Homes
Special thanks to our sister publication, Log Home Living, for their help with this article.
RECLAIM Check
By Clare Martin
Reclaimed timbers offer the design particulars of wood as well as the personal gratification of conservation.
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•In a Pickle
The old-growth cypress and Douglas fir of barrel tanks from an old Heinz pickle factory provide the delightfully rough lumber that forms Sundance’s Pickle Barrel Bed. There’s no lingering scent of briny cucumbers here—just unfinished wood that has achieved a worn, rustic patina from its years in service. Paired with an old-fashioned quilt, it strikes just the right look for a pioneer cabin. $1,995 to $2,195. Call 800-422-2770, or visit sundancecatalog.com.
•Wine of the Times
You might not think relaxing on the deck with a glass of wine seems perfectly natural, until you take a look at Viva Terra’s Wine Barrel Stave Chairs, which are crafted from the aged oak of recycled wine barrels. If their classic Adirondack styling and foldable design aren’t enough to tempt you, consider this: They ensure that at least a few of the 200,000 wine barrels tossed out in California each year will never see the trash heap. $149 each or $269 for a set of two. Call 800-233-6011, or visit vivaterra.com.
•Fair Trade
Reclaimed wood typically comes from structures that are being demolished—but furniture maker Global Surroundings takes a slightly different approach. The company purchases old teak homes in Indonesia and dismantles them, constructing brand-new brick homes for the families who live there. Meanwhile, Global Surroundings uses everything from the front door to floorboards to construct pieces such as this simple, hefty Taos Bench. $1,100. Call 480-543-8888, or visit globalsurroundings.com. |
•Home Grown
If Gum Ridge Mill’s Bread Board Oak Table hits a little close to home, there’s a good reason why. In their former life, the table’s reclaimed locust legs served as fence posts on designer Ken Sevensky’s property. The oak top came from slightly further afield—it was originally siding on a 1920s barn in his town of Fleetwood, N.C. The pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery that holds it all together serves to enhance the table’s storied past. Call 336-877-8888, or visit gumridgemill.com.
•Walk the Plank
Craftsmen at Olde Wood Ltd. thoroughly examine reclaimed wood with the help of metal detectors to remove nails and other foreign objects, then carefully handcraft each plank to bring out its unique texture and patina. The result? Gorgeous floors that belie their ramshackle origins. Call 866-208-9663, or visit oldewoodltd.com.
AC would like to thank Log Home Living magazine for permission to reprint this article from its September 2007 issue.
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