The Call We Waited Months For…Floors, Kitchen Plans, and the Biggest Exterior Design Decision Yet - Issue: 004

Red Oak hardwood floors are finally going in, the kitchen design is underway, and we’re making a major call on the exterior that quite literally is too cool for school.

Apr 04, 2026

If you’ve been following the cabin story, you know that for months (but really years) our living room setup looked like this:

• crusty (but cute) vintage rug over subfloor
• wood stove full of ash, but keeping us warm
• construction dust settled on literally every single surface
• two people (but mostly me) sitting on the floor with a cup of iced coffee.

Not exactly the cozy cabin moment I had imagined, moodboard’d out. Remember when we had to rip all the floors out from the flood.

But…

The Cabin Hardwood Floors Have Started

You guys, we got one of those calls you wait weeks (but really months) for. Our flooring contractor had an opening and could start right away! I screamed.

Marcel Red Oak hard wood floors the best hardwood flooring — We are installing Marcel Red Oak Flooring atop aquarbar for added noise reduction and moisture prevention

After so many months of second - guessing, planning, sanding, mistakes, and staring at the exposed subfloor, seeing the first pieces of Marcel red oak go down felt like a ginormous win. Like huge! It’s the kind of step forward that reminds me that we are, in fact, making progress towards making the cabin shift from a project to an almost-home. Similar to how we felt when we finally built the bed.

That’s the thing about renovations, they don’t happen overnight, as you see on HGTV. There’s something about good floors; they ground everything, literally and visually. And with the redwood ceilings overhead, this contrast is exactly what I’ve been chasing all along. Check out our inspo and work-in-progress pics above.

Kitchen Design Is Underway

Speaking of the work-in-progress! The next big interior project is officially underway:

We’re designing the cabin kitchen. This past weekend, we spent half a day confirming our elevations and space plans. This included taping out a vent hood for our open shelving, as seen above. For taping out a space is always a good idea in my book. I always suggest measuring, taping, and triple-checking before placing an order, and also getting a real sense of how things will look once installed. I do this for rugs, couches, beds, etc. Click here for more pro-kitchen reno tips.

Right now, I’m working through layouts and cabinet systems from Reform, which I love for their clean, architectural approach to cabinetry that doesn’t completely break the bank.

The direction we’re exploring leans toward:

• dark Nero black cabinetry
• natural redwood accents - we’re paneling the backsplash
• simple integrated circle hardware
• smoked oak countertops - boy, are they sext.
• open shelving for everyday dishes

A coffee station in the rectangle above, made from a repurposed bookcase for a distressed, lived-in look. Just look at the contrast to the kitchen, and while you’re at it, peek at the layout of the new kitchen cabinets.

Nothing overly precious. A signature mix of old and new, cuz’ that’s how we do it over here at 136 home. Right?

Just a kitchen that feels warm, durable, and ready for real cooking. The cabinet above pays homage to the mid-century aesthetic. Just pictured the cabinets black with smoked oak trim and counters. Totally delicious I know.

Because the kitchen is really the heart of the home, and with the open floor plan, it will have literally everything to make the space feel complete. Now, if we can just get the vent hood installed.

One Big Exterior Decision

While we’ve been focused on interiors, one big question is finally coming into focus outside:

The cabin exterior color.

The more I study the house against the forest, the more convinced I am that painting the exterior with my favorite black paint - it just might be the right move, you know how indecisive I am. But given the state of the siding and the way to red we have now.

Black Cabin Exteriors with Tricorn Black Paint

It would:

• highlight the sea ranch inspired architecture with a modern flare
• make the redwoods pop even more
• give the cabin a quiet, yet modern presence in the landscape

It’s a big decision, but one that feels increasingly inevitable.

More on that soon. Reply and let me know if you disagree. This one has me excited. But not all renovation is big bold moments like painting your entire cabin black.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

A Slow Intentional Day

Sometimes it’s quieter, less flashy days. It’s not always rainbows, but more like rain and mud, and hardwood floors.

But these moments of joy are earned. It was exactly two months ago that I was in the rain unloading that flooring. If you want to see what this renovation day actually looked like, rain and all, I filmed the whole thing for the latest episode of 136 Home Cabin Chronicles.

It’s one of those real renovation days where everything happens at once. I’m unloading hardwood floors in the pouring rain, warming up by the wood-burning stove, finally upgrading from the air mattress to a real mid-century modern bed frame, unrolling our vintage, good-enough-for-now rug, and revealing the moody cabin bathroom that completely transformed the space.

If you love seeing the behind-the-scenes moments of how a cabin slowly becomes a home, this episode captures it perfectly. Trust me, the bathroom reveal alone is worth it.

Watch the full video here

Loft Bedroom Progress

Another space that’s quietly coming together is the loft bedroom.

Right now it’s simple.

A bed. Finally!
Floating wall shelf unit.
A few lamps.
My new art from the ultimate Palm Springs trip.
A green for now rug.
The redwood beams overhead - refinished beaming proudly.

But I’ve been experimenting with my bed styling technique, layering textures, colors, and materials that feel warm without becoming overly styled.

Because the goal up here isn’t a showroom bedroom.

It’s a quiet place to wake up with light coming through those cathedral windows and the forest outside.

Sometimes, restraint really is the luxury.

Real Life at the Cabin

Something I wrote in my Notes recently has been on my mind a lot lately.

I grew up in a small town.
Chickens in the yard.
Wood stacked by the house.

Then I moved (but really ran) to San Francisco and lived the fast city life for years. I still can’t believe the views, and how the city has become a part of me all these years later.

But the older I get, the more I find myself pulled back toward something simpler.

Mornings by the fire.
Coffee in quiet rooms.
A stroll in a garden dappled with golden light.
The sound of chickens meandering.

It’s the kind of everyday ritual that makes a place feel like an escape.

Funny how life works like that…

Sometimes you spend you spend your entire life running away…

Only to realize it’s exactly where you want to be. Anyone else? More about that journey here.

From the Kitchen

What’s Coming Next?

The next few weeks at the cabin are going to be some of the most exciting yet.

In the next issue I’ll be sharing:

• The full vintage leather sofa revival for the living room
• How I style a cozy cabin bed (textures, layers, and the pieces that actually work)
• More kitchen design progress with Reform
• The final decision on the cabin exterior color

And…