A $30K Budget Transformed This Soulless 1970s Cabin into a Cozy Retreat

This magical reading nook was originally the dining room area of this 1,300-square-foot cabin built in the 1970s, but a last-minute reimaginging of the floor plan opened up the snow globe possibility, “proving sometimes the best things aren’t always planned,” Kiera Kushlan writes.

“My husband and I took our three boys on our first trip to the area when our youngest was just six weeks old, and our whole family fell in love,” explains Kiera, who’s the owner and design principal of Residents Understood. “This past fall, we decided to look for a place we could purchase and use as both a vacation home and a short-term rental. Within a few weeks, our agent sent us a video of the cabin, and we went under contract sight unseen.”

Before Kiera and her husband, Mike, purchased the cabin, it had been sort of “builder-grade” renovated after being a rental for 15 years, and was somewhat stripped of some of its original 1970s character. “But the bones were still there, so we focused on adding as much charm as possible through furniture, paint, wallpaper, and plenty of vintage artwork,” she writes.

It was the 1970s architecture like the tall ceilings and big windows (Kiera describes the natural light as “unreal”) that immediately drew the couple to the cabin, and they say they “could envision how infusing some personality back into the space would be possible with the right furniture and accessories.”

With a budget of $30K to furnish the entire house (including common areas, four bedrooms and two bathrooms), not to mention a tight timeline to try to get the house ready for ski season, they focused on removing popcorn ceilings and adding wallpaper, paint, and new light fixtures.

• Great Room/Common Spaces — Benjamin Moore “White Dove” and “Hazy Skies”
• Queen Bedroom 1 — Benjamin Moore “Newt Green”
• Queen Bedroom 2 Wallpaper — Mind the Gap “Alpine”
• Bunk Bedroom 1 — Benjamin Moore “Norway Spruce” and “White Dove”
• Bunk Bedroom 2 Wallpaper — Spoonflower “Candy Stripe Navy”
• Bunk Bedroom 2 — Benjamin Moore “Van Deusen Blue”
• Laundry Room Wallpaper — Mind the Gap “Monterey”
• Bathroom 1 — Benjamin Moore “Bewitched” 
• Bathroom 2 — Benjamin Moore “Van Deusen Blue”

• Hall Tree — Wayfair 
• Oak Bench — Article 
• Yellow Cabinet — Wayfair 
• Artwork — The Vermont Antique Mall 

• Lucerne Sectional — Poly and Bark
• Torme Media Unit — Article
• Fenway Coffee Table — Wayfair
• Tamsa Rug — Room and Board
• Bilyeu Swivel Chairs — Wayfair 
• Taylor Washable Rug — Revival
• Jia Ottoman — Icons  
• Shadavia Blue Kitchen Pantry Cabinet — Wayfair   
• Green Wall Quilt — Thompson Street Studio

• Reclaimed Elm Sawhorse Bench — Restoration Hardware
• Emeco Reclaimed Stacking Dining Chairs — MoMA Design Store
• Bernabeau Oval Dining Table — Wayfair 
• Shibori Indigo Flag — Etsy

• Natural Rattan Counter Stool — Wayfair 
• Blue Alegria Chandelier — Dutton Brown 
• Oregon Plaid Rug — Rugs USA 
• Buffalo Check Cafe Curtains — Amazon
• Artwork — The Vermont Antique Mall 

• Vivienne Traditional Bed — Wayfair
• Tandria Table Lamp — Wayfair
• Celine Nightstand — Joss & Main 
• Organic Cotton Jacquard Floral Coverlet — Quince
• Yates Check Brown Re-Jute Rug — Ruggable 

• Irish Chain Quilt — Lands End 
• Amberrar Large 3 Drawer Dresser — Wayfair 
• Torhild Table Lamp — Wayfair 
• Helen Washable Wool Rug — Revival
• Bredyn Baxton Studio Rattan Bed — Wayfair  

• Stillwater Quilt — Schoolhouse
• Meet Me at the Cabin Poster — Etsy 
• Shara Rock Bean Bag — Wayfair
• Pender Plaid Rug — Wayfair  
• Twin Over Full Bunk Bed — Max & Lily
• Kinta Floating Shelves — Wayfair

• Twin Over Full Bunk Bed — Max & Lily
• Dahlia Hand Tufted Rug — One Kings Lane
• Kane Round Storage Nightstand — Urban Outfitters 
• Colour Grid Throw Blanket — Heartprint Threads 
• These Are the Good Old Days Felt Pennant — Etsy  
• Gaven Writing Desk — Wayfair 
• Latorsha Table Lamp — Joss & Main

• Rustic Farmhouse Shower Curtain — Etsy 
• Berenice Hernandez Prints — Paper Collective
• Remy Hook — Schoolhouse 

• Cozy Gingham Plaid Shower Curtain — Society 6
• Canal 5 Wall Hook — Upton
• Moo Patchwork Cow Print — Rosanna Corfe
• Night Night Love You Print — Etsy 

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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