Log Homes And Log Furniture - The Norman Rockwell Effect
In case you haven't noticed, the world is "going to hell in a
handbasket". No one knows where that phrase comes from or what
it means exactly, but the implication is understood by anyone
who hears it - that things seem to be out of control. If you
watch the evening news, read today's headlines, or listen to the
radio then you know what I am talking about. The world is going
to hell in a handbasket. So what does the world's demise have to
do with the title of this article? That's easy, in a world out
of control, there's just something miraculous about logs that
creates peace and tranquility in my life.
If that sounds a little bizarre to you, permit me to explain.
Your house may be of a contemporary design, or a Mediterranean
style bungalow, or perhaps you make your home in a French
chateaux, but for me there is no warmer, or more peaceful
environment than a log home richly decorated with rustic and log
furniture. I call it my "Norman Rockwell effect".
The late Mr. Rockwell had a distinctive painting style and his
prints portrayed an optimistic depiction of everyday life in
America. Even while the world was at war and our nation was
climbing out of the great depression, Rockwell had an uncanny
knack of reinforcing what was really important to ordinary
Americans. The imagery his pictures produced inspired us to be
decent people and live a good life. They evoked a feeling of
calming and harmony. I experience that "Norman Rockwell effect"
every time I walk into my cabin in the woods.
There is this undefined something about a log home and log
furniture that literally transfixes me in an extraordinary way.
How best can I describe this to the uninitiated? When I look at
a wall constructed of logs, I get a sense that it vibrates at a
different intensity than the rest of its surroundings. No, I am
not some new-age metaphysical tree-hugger, I'm a guy who
appreciates natural beauty and I connect with things created
from logs.
Consider if you will that a pine log and a 2x4 (or 2x10, etc.)
are both wooden building products of the same matter and used
for the same purposes. However, if one were to erect a wall
using both materials, there is no similarity in the visual
experience, the character or any aspect of the two walls. The
logs with irregular lines, bold grain, conspicuous knots and
uneven coloring produce a visual rendering that Mr. Rockwell
strove to achieve with every brush stroke. To me, logs exude a
sensation of warmth, of strength, a sense that all is right with
the world... and that is a lot to expect from a dead tree.
So what is it about logs that give me this near spiritual
experience? I think it is an implicit appreciation of a sense of
perpetuity, of history, strength and permanence. America was
built from logs. The first structures erected across this land
were more often than not constructed of logs. For hundreds of
years, people carved their homes, shops and churches from the
wilderness using the most plentiful resource available, trees in
their natural form. In addition, we Americans like to be noted
for being individualists, and at a time when most of the
population live in city apartments or suburbs with cookie-cutter
houses, a log home sets one apart from the crowd. In that same
rationale, log furniture is not generally available at ordinary
furniture stores. One must venture out to the wilderness (or at
least exit the shopping mall) to find quality log and rustic
furniture.
Okay, I will admit to having some plastered walls in our home
and yes, we even have several furniture pieces that one might
label as "conventional", but visitors to our home invariably
remark about our log furniture and log accents. To date, no one
has yet to compliment us on our marvelously plastered bathroom.
I began this dissertation with a clich