We are loving lodge style these days!  We have been getting lots of requests from our clients to make their homes more lodgy (I made that word up), and are using lodge furniture and fabric components all over the place!  Lodge style give the feeling of nature, cabins, lakes, forests, trees, animals, wilderness, and most of all, of family trips from days gone by.  Lodge style is able to evoke all sorts of feelings and memories in people because the style itself originated from somewhere very specific: lodges.  Yes, the original lodge style design came directly from National Park lake and forest lodges, and families would flock from all corners of the country in their station wagons to take part in nature.

Today, lodge style has come a long way, but many of the original lodges remain very similar to the day they opened (with a few obvious exceptions!)  Since we have been taking so many cues from these historic inns, we wanted to share some of the most notable ones with you, and help give you an idea of where the furniture pieces and fabric styles originate from, and also to show you what they look like today!

Grand Lake Lodge- Grand Lake, Colorado

Grand Lake Lodge opened its doors in 1920. It is seated at the base of the famous Trail Ridge Road, which twists and winds through the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park, eventually ending in Estes Park.  The lodge has been in operation since then, with visitors from all over the world.  Guests stay in cabins nestled all around the property, but come together in the lobby and dining room to eat, play games, swim, rock on the deck, and sit around the large central fireplace (a hallmark of many lodges).

The Grand Lake Lodge Dining Room

View of Grand Lake from the sweeping deck

Rocking Chairs on the Deck

An old postcard from Grand Lake

El Tovar Hotel- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona 

El Tovar Hotel sits on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and was once considered “the most elegant hotel west of the Mississippi”.  Opening in 1905, it is over 100 years old!  Originally owned by the Santa Fe Railway, it was a luxurious accommodation that allowed the wealthy and elite to reside in style while visiting one of the country’s most popular landmarks.

Vintage postcard of El Tovar

A view into the gift shop

El Tovar sits on the rim of the canyon

The Beautiful Lodge Style Dining Room

Ahwahnee Hotel- Yosemite National Park, California

The concept for the Ahwahnee also began as a way to draw wealthy travelers to the Yosemite area.  Similar to the Grand Lake Lodge, it was opened in the 1920s, after a lengthy construction process that was exaggerated by the lodge’s remote location in the park.  With forest fires such a threat, and with firefighting resources so far away, it was decided that rather than using real wood on the building’s exterior, builders would instead pour concrete into hewn wooden forms for a sturdier structure that closely resembled the other lodges of the time.

Another Beautiful Lodge Dining Room!

The concrete exterior of Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee Lobby

Jenny Lake Lodge- Grand Teton, Wyoming

Jenny Lake Lodge, seated on Jenny Lake, with arguably the most glorious view in the world, was opened in 1920 (are you sensing a pattern here?)  The lodge actually started as a dude ranch with two cabins for rent, and grew over time into the luxury wilderness lodge that sits in it’s place.

Jenny Lake Lodge Sitting Room

Bedroom at Jenny Lake Lodge

Old Faithful Inn- Yellowstone National Park

The Old Faithful Inn, built in 1905, is considered the largest log structure in the world.  It was built completely from local log and stone, and features incredible handcrafted detail in every corner of the building.  They “just don’t make ’em like this anymore”.

Old Faithful and the Old Faithful Lodge

The Old Faithful Dining Room

Hallway in the Old Faithful

The Amazing Lobby

We hope you enjoyed this stroll through time with us!  It’s so fun to see where styles come from, and how they have evolved over the years.  What are your favorite things about lodge style?  Share with us on Facebook!  You can also follow us on Pinterest and Houzz to see more lodge style ideas!