I guess the better question is…can an inanimate object serve as as source of inspiration? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word “inspire” means:
- to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural
- to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on
- to infuse (as life) by breathing
So, would you include a beautiful log or timber frame home as a source of inspiration? If you ask people who are in the dreaming or planning stage of their heavy timber home, I would bet that most would say yes, they are inspired.
For those of us blessed enough to already be living in a log home, the feeling of inspiration is a constant. When I began thinking about this topic I pictured a few things in my mind’s eye. I visualized the pleasant feeling I get when I drive up the road to our home and see it standing on top of the hill. I think about those snowy winter evenings sitting at home with a roaring fire in the wood stove. I think of those warm summer nights when the smell of pine is like a subtle perfume.
Hopeless romantic? Maybe, but living in a log home truly is different, and I have to admit it creates an inspiring atmosphere that my wife and I absolutely love. My answer to the headline question is yes, log homes inspire me.
Apparently, I am not alone in this conviction, and I was not the first to make the statement. One of the premiere log and timber frame manufacturers in the country beat me to it. Precision Craft has an area on their website called (what else) “Inspired Living“. This showcases some of the homes they crafted for their customers and tells the stories from the customer’s perspective.