Today I’m going to show you how to get a modern, mountain aesthetic like I’ve created in this guest bedroom using five easy steps, starting from a blank canvas.
We’re going to talk color, texture, pattern, motif, and lighting, plus a 6th bonus tip at the end, so let’s get right into it.
Step One: Color
Mountain lodge aesthetic takes heavy inspiration from nature. When I think mountain lodge, I picture cold rainforests, snowy pine trees, and the pacific northwest in general. The natural beauty of these areas really reflects in the color palette you want to target: warm, earthy neutrals like:
- earthy browns pulled from bark or soil dirt
- deep forest green of pine needles or forest foliage
- warm, deep reds from autumn leaves or crackling fires
- stone greys pulled from rock or thunderclouds
For any of my color theory nerds out there, this is a complementary color palette of reds and greens, and the predominant theme is warm and dark.
So we’re going to start by darkening up the space with this charcoal waffle blanket from Quince. This has a beautiful, deep grey color that reminds me of stone. Its soft and luscious, and the waffle design helps create highlights and shadows, like a gradient of shade that add an organic depth of interest to the color palette.
Choosing high quality textiles, in this case 100% organic cotton, is really important to design, especially when you’re going for a cozy aesthetic like we are today. What you touch and feel while you’re in the room needs special attention. But the good news is it doesn’t always have to break the bank. This blanket for example is only $100.
Step Two: Texture
We’ll layer in a few more colors in a minute but, this waffle design is a perfect lead in to Step Two, texture, which again we take inspiration from the outdoors. Aside from woven textiles, the big ones in mountain aesthetic are:
- wood
- metal
- leather
- stone
- and...fur!
Which brings me to my next addition, this beautiful textured faux fur throw, also from Quince. This thing is incredibly soft both front and back. It’s weighty, cozy, lush and the dimpled texture helps create a variance in tone and shadow, just like the waffle blanket that helps deepen the organic look and feel of the room.
This blanket is also just $100, and that’s because of Quince’s factory-direct model. They’re also committed to sustainable, ethical manufacturing, so be sure to check them ou.
As for other textures, we’ll be adding in some more light wood to coordinate with this bedframe in just a minute, as well as some fun metal accents, but for now let’s turn to Step Three.
Step Three: Pattern
The first of which is geometric, originating with Native American geometric patterns popular among rugs, baskets, and other textiles during early colonial America.
In this spirit of those patterns, I’m layering in the Rowe Pillow Cover from Quince, in this warm brown color called dark flax. It has this geometric striped pattern that to me feels like a modern take on the Native American classic patterns, while still being versatile enough for me to reuse in other design styles in the future.
The warm brown/ivory color combo fits well into my target color palette, the tassels add an extra bit of tactile interest, and the pattern is actually woven into the fabric using thick organic cotton instead of just printed on the surface, which is again a great sign of quality and leans into that cozy plush feel we’re looking to create.
Another iconic mountain aesthetic pattern is plaid! I’m going to layer in these pillow covers first and then, continuing with the dark, woven theme, I’m going to hang these awesome curtains.
If you’ve been around the channel before, you might recognize these as a shower curtain. Yes, you can use shower curtains as window coverings! Better yet, hanging these nice and high is going to help mask this off-centered window, make the room feel taller, but also add to the cozy vibe by shortening the space.
Final pattern is herringbone. I’m going to add these bedside tables I flipped a couple months ago which have herringbone wood inlays on the front. Now these pieces are more county cottage than mountain cabin and in particular, mountain aesthetic calls for a mid to dark wood stain, but I’m here to tell you it’s perfectly acceptable to work with what you have. This lighter tone is still warm and organic. It matches my bedframe, and the cream/brown paint matches our Rowe pillow as well, so while it’s not a dark forest pine, all our mountain vibe boxes are still checked.
Step Four: Motif
A motif is a distinctive symbol or image that you incorporates meaning into your design. You see these often on flannels bed sheets, in wall art, or little styling knicknacks. There are four broad categories you can pull from:
- fauna - bears, deer, moose, elk, birds
- flora - pine trees, pine cones, acorns, wildflowers, ferns
- mountains - either straight landscapes or related to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing camping, skiing
- colonial - lanterns, axes, antlers, campfires, particularly if its made of cast iron
I have two pieces to add here, first are these cast iron deer coat hooks for my guests to hang towels or coats on during the winter.
And then I have a little gallery wall of pictures from the various mountain adventures my husband and I have taken over the years. We have a bit of everything in here, from Zion to Grand Canyon, to Banff.
This is a set of rustic frames in various colors and sizes I got off Amazon, so I actually just followed the exactly layout they had in the listing, applied a color filter to my images to get that warm, desaturated feel, and sent them off to Shutterfly to get printed!
Step Five: Lighting
One last step before I share my bonus tip! This one is easy: go warm, go rustic, and go ambient.
I have these little wood branch lamps I got from Walmart almost 10 years go and I thought they were just perfect for this room.
We want to mimic fireplaces, candle light, and that cozy winter twilight look. I’m using warm bulbs around 2700K. Lamps and lanterns are best for that layered look, and if you have the ability install dimmers to control any overhead lighting, even better.
Bonus Tip!
We talked about a lot today, color, texture, pattern, motif, and lighting, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed I totally understand.
That’s why I highly recommend planning out your designs in advance! I typically start by heading to Pinterest to get some inspiration, then I build a mock up in Canva. This is a lot easier than it looks. Just drag and drop images from the internet and use the background remover tool to layer them over each other.
Once your design starts to come together, compare back and forth to your Pinterest board to see what’s working and tweak what’s not.
If it weren’t for this mockup I made, I would have bought lighter curtains, and the whole vibe would have been off! This has saved me plenty of times in the past and helps make sure the products you’re going to buy will fit well together.
Be sure to let me know your favorite tip you learned today. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you next time!