What are the best window treatments for a vacation rental?

Durable, easy-to-use treatments with no dangling cords: shutters, cordless cellular shades and motorized shades. Room-darkening fabrics in the bedrooms help guests sleep in.

Can you put shutters on angled log cabin windows?

Yes. Shutters are custom built to the shape of the opening, including the angled windows found in many log cabin gables.

Do window treatments look right against log walls?

They can look beautiful. Soft, neutral colors like white and cream let the warm wood stand out, and inside-mounted shades keep the log trim in view.

Do you work on short-term rentals?

Yes. Our designers help rental owners choose window treatments that stand up to a steady stream of guests and look good in listing photos.

Sticks & Stones: Window Treatments for a Log Cabin Airbnb

Some projects stay with you. Sticks & Stones is one of them: a log cabin vacation rental near Bloomington-Normal, with soaring gable windows, honey-toned logs and bedrooms built for big groups of friends and family. A welcome sign on the log wall says it all: “Welcome to our cabin, Sticks & Stones.”

Here’s how we dressed the windows, and what any rental owner or log home owner can take from it.

Welcome to our cabin, Sticks & Stones sign on a log wall

The challenge: big angled windows and lots of bedrooms

Log cabins are beautiful, but their windows aren’t always simple. Sticks & Stones has tall, angled windows in the gables that follow the slope of the roof, and a series of bedrooms where guests need privacy and a way to darken the room.

A rental adds a few more requirements. Window treatments get used by dozens of different guests, so they have to be easy to figure out, sturdy and free of cords. And they have to look great in listing photos.

Shutters that follow the roofline

For the tall gable windows, we installed white Heritance® hardwood shutters. Shutters are built to the exact shape of each opening, so they follow the angled tops of the windows instead of fighting them. Tilt the louvers and the great room fills with soft light; close them and the room feels private and calm.

Close-up of white shutter louvers tilted open

They look just as good from outside. Crisp white louvers fill the gable windows, a clean contrast against the golden logs.

Log cabin gable with white Heritance® shutters on the tall angled windows

Learn more about shutters and our guide to arched and specialty-shaped windows.

Duette® shades in every bedroom

In the bedrooms, we used Duette® Honeycomb Shades. They give each room privacy, soften morning light and help insulate the windows, which matters in a cabin that welcomes guests in every season. Their soft, neutral fabric lets the log walls and plaid bedding take center stage.

Bedroom with two plaid beds and a Duette® shade on the window between them

Inside-mounted shades tuck neatly into the wood window frames, so the trim still shows. Even the door window got a matching shade, keeping the look consistent from room to room.

Log cabin bedroom with plaid beds and cellular shades on two windows

Duette® is one of several cellular shades we offer.

Tips for vacation rental owners

Skip the cords. Choose cordless or motorized operation. It’s safer for guests’ children and pets, and there’s nothing to tangle.
Darken the bedrooms. Guests on vacation like to sleep in. Room-darkening fabrics help. See light-filtering vs. room-darkening vs. blackout.
Choose durable and simple. Shutters and honeycomb shades are intuitive for first-time guests and hold up to daily use.
Think about listing photos. Clean, consistent window treatments make rooms look finished and inviting.
Keep the outside tidy. Matching colors on every window look good from the driveway too.

Tips for log homes

Let the wood lead. White, cream and soft neutral fabrics let honey-toned logs glow.
Plan for angles. Gable and angled windows are common in log homes. Shutters and some shades can be made to fit them.
Show the trim. Inside mounts keep the beautiful wood window frames in view.
Think about insulation. Cellular shades help keep cabins comfortable in cold Illinois winters. More in getting your windows ready for an Illinois winter.

See the whole project

Browse every photo from this cabin in Our Work. Own a rental, cabin or log home of your own? Our Bloomington-Normal showroom is close by, or book a free in-home consultation and we’ll come to you.