I'm building my own log home right now -- haven't stained it yet, but I'm definitely doing a light stain indoors -- I've seen too many that are way dark inside. http://www.permachink.com/company-news/wood-stain-colors - scroll to set of samples at the very bottom for interior quality stains -- I chose between butternut or light honey samples, and went with light honey, which I will coat with once. All the interior walls (ie, not exposed to the outside) will be sheetrocked, Other than the cathedral ceiling over the LR, DR and kitchen, the rest of the ceilings will be sheetrocked and painted a warm off-white. Since my logs will be light, I'm going with Sherwin-Williams "Global Spice" color palate - warm and earthy, but yes, some light tones in there. I'm staying away from deer and moose themes! (I'll have a Christmas stag out for maybe 3-4 weeks in the season, but it looks festive, not "deer season" hunting lodge.) My kitchen will be light quartz countertops, and the kitchen floor will be a light wood-look tile. (Which will contrast with a much darker pinewood floor throughout all the "dry" rooms.) I think both oil rubbed bronze and brushed nickel could look good for fixtures. You'll notice that the link above also sells stains in colors, which you may want to consider for cabinetry. You could paint trim white -- I'll be staining in wood finish, but my house sounds like it will be a lot lighter log-wise than your likely purchase. If you have to treat the wood (preserving) make sure you do the manufacturer's suggested full course of treatment. I've seen log homes while doing my research where no additional treatment was needed for 20 years (other than a six month apart bout with a good, long, feather duster).

In my experience bonded leather sofas degrade pretty quickly ("leather" peels off) but a true leather Chesterfield will last forever. Velvet, on the other hand, is almost impossible to get "ick" off of. I would do a leather sofa in a saddle brown or white leather and then add blue velvet pillows and a blue velvet side chair that's cheaper to replace if it gets ruined. A sleeper sofa is also a good investment for an Airbnb. https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/omnia-leather-jackson-leather-sleeper-sofa-otl1790.html https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/design-tree-home-katrina-3-seater-leather-chesterfield-sofa-dsag1656.html https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/alcott-hill-potterslane-high-back-new-velvet-wingback-chair-alth2523.html

crl_ I agree that there's a lot that can be done while still being sensitive to the fact that it is a log home. The photo above is interesting in that there is still a lot of wood, but it's clearly a lot more inviting. The open shelves and simple lines suggest an informality that would be keeping with a cabin. If using different cabinets, I'd avoid turned legs, routed edges, or anything that is too "fancy" in this case. Don't forget that rugs, open shelves with light/color and other accessories can add color and light. I believe the issue of the layout and such requires drawings and better photos. I've always had the range in the island -- for me that works so much better than the sink in the island. I feel strongly that sink, dishwasher, upper cabinets for storing dishes, should all be on the same wall and close proximity. However, you make a good point about the outside wall and venting. The photos suggest a very limited kitchen size --- which contributes to the feeling of it being dark. OP: Any chance we could see a floor plan?

I'm going to look at this from a slightly different perspective: Sometimes being forced to sell a property like this is a blessing in disguise. We sometimes become so attached to our family after they are gone that we forget to live our OWN lives. apple_pie_order said it, don't spend your life trying to make dead people happy. It's ok to have some sentimental attachments. It's not ok when those attachments have us making bad life decisions. Keeping this house would be a bad life decision on multiple fronts: 1. You clearly can't afford to buy-out the co-owner and the extensive repairs that are needed. No shame or blame, but it's good to have a clear-headed idea of the total cost of keeping this home vs your resources. 2. The neighborhood has changed so completely that it's no longer hospitable for that property. 3. There is no longer any "intrinsic value" in the house as a log cabin. It has been so re-muddled and architecturally bastardized that the only value is the novelty of saying "there's a log cabin under all that". I know this is a shock to you, but it wasn't "lovingly restored..." what was done was a "modernization / re-muddle" job. A log cabin was turned into a 1950-60's suburban house complete with an attached garage and kitschy lawn decor. This was the style of that time and what the owners wanted. It's cute and has character - but it's not a "lovingly restored log cabin" by any stretch of the imagination. 4. Keeping the house would require major changes / sacrifices to your life: You would have to live with mold/decay/structural dysfunction or you would need to make life changes to create the income to rehab it. If you don't sell, those are your choices. It's not rent-able as-is either. 5. I feel pretty certain that this property would not ever be viable financially as a single family home. Investing in repairs and maintenance would not ever result in a property that would appreciate and be marketable at some point in the future. It will always be a tear-down. 6. The co-ownership has created a potential legal minefield (see below). 7. Most of all, I think the weight of the sentimental attachment, and the history behind the will and how that went down, is crippling you.