This gorgeous log cabin, built as a Swedish-style summer cottage from logs floated here in 1910, is set to take full advantage of a magnificent view of the Aspetuck River. Although the rambling ranch is rustic, its clear-coated chinked walls encompass artfully collected and arranged antiques and rich fabrics. The great room has a stone fireplace that takes up an entire wall, a 42-inch brass chandelier, and a combination of European antiques, twig furniture, and English oil paintings, creating an ambience of cultivated rusticity. It opens onto a glassed-in sunroom, with herringbone pine floors, that exposes the breathtaking view.

The owners added a spacious dining room/party room they call the “ballroom” where dancing does take place on the wood floors with their diamond-pattern stain. This room expands on the woodsy theme with a loft reached by a twig staircase, and a huge antler chandelier.

The master bedroom is warm and cozy, filled with old quilts on the high wood-post bed and skylights to provide a view of the stars at night. The closets are wittily stenciled with descriptions of the contents stored. The master bath feels like an intimate den with its own log walls, fireplace, and a raised nook overlooking the garden.

From the grand public rooms to the “treefort” guest room, prominent designer-owner Beverly Ellsley, clearly planned that every room be enjoyed by family and friends.

About the designer

Beverly Ellsley, of Westport, CT, designs houses from the ground up and everything in them.  With great attention to detail, most projects feature fine woodworking produced in her own cabinet shop. She is best known for her unusual kitchens. She is a licensed Interior Designer in the state of CT. Her work has been published extensively in every major shelter magazine and numerous newspapers, and she has been featured on HGTV and Good Morning America.  She has participated in the prestigious Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse on five occasions, and is currently designing, with her daughter Rebecca,  a line of products for the Enkeboll Company.

She has been in the business since 1967; in 1987 her husband Bob joined her to manage the business and their daughter Rebecca joined in 1992 as her design partner. Beverly's current projects range from a 12,000 square foot French Chateau to a 8,000 square foot log ski lodge.  Please visit www.beverlyellsley.com for additional information.