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Open vs. Closed Kitchens: Pros and Cons

When you’re designing your dream home, the kitchen isn’t just another room, it’s the heart of it. And one of the biggest decisions you’ll make early on is whether to go with an open or closed kitchen layout. It’s a choice that affects how you cook, entertain, and live every day.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Let’s walk through the pros and cons of both styles to help you figure out what fits your lifestyle best.

Building a log home isn’t something you do on a whim. Most people come to us with an idea that’s been sitting in the back of their mind for years, sometimes decades. You picture the front porch. The big windows. A warm fire on a cold night. You know the feeling you’re after. What’s harder is knowing how to get there.

That’s where design comes in. Designing your home isn’t about having all the answers upfront. It’s about taking what you do know, how you live, what you value, and shaping the space around it.

Here’s how we recommend starting that process.

Looking through log cabin floor plans can feel a little like scrolling through a dream catalog. So many options. So many beautiful layouts. And it’s easy to get caught up in what looks great on paper without considering how it fits into your everyday life.

At Ward Cedar Log Homes, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners sort through choices and land on a floor plan that’s not just beautiful, but practical, personal, and built around how they live. Here's how to think it through.

A two-step plan for making confident choices about your home’s interior style.

Commitment issues — even the most confident homeowners face them at some point during the building process. If you’re reading this, chances are you can relate. Maybe you’re torn between two styles you love, maybe your indecision stems from the worry of making the “wrong” choice, or maybe you’re nearing the end of the building process and feeling overwhelmed or uninspired to pick between this faucet or that one.

Whatever the cause, you don’t have to stay stuck in indecision. With a simple, two-step process, you can move forward with a clear vision and confidence:
 

Combining logs and timbers with conventional construction techniques gives homeowners the “best of both worlds” in their new home. Here’s how.

It’s no secret that Ward Cedar Log Homes is known for crafting quality houses — we’ve been doing so for more than 100 years. In fact, we proudly hold the title of “America’s first log home manufacturer.” But what you may not know is that we are also industry leaders in the world of hybrids, with around half of the homes Ward produces each year falling into this category.