Rustic Log Beds

Logs go in the back door; furniture comes out the front (with photo collection)

The way Clinton Taylor describes furniture made at The Refuge Lifestyle in Bixby is that logs go in the back door of the workshop, and furniture comes out the front door. But anyone visiting the shop during a hot summer day knows building log and Western furniture by hand is not that easy. It involves artistry, sawdust, dirt, sweat, dedication -- and love.

In spite of the intense heat, it’s obvious the artists of The Refuge continue to stay at it with expertise, camaraderie, concentration and looking out for one another. They’re a family.

“The men who build this furniture live the lifestyle,” says Donna Laster, who runs the store at 7699 E. 151st St. South in Bixby. “They love the genre. You can get anything, Everything is handcrafted. It takes an artist and a metal cutter to bring these things to life.” She pointed to an enormous log bed. “The carpenter loved that bed into existence.” In addition, the metal cutter had carefully created a bear and deer scene in the headboard; a lamp hanging above it was also done in carefully cut metal detail.

Laster said many people experience nostalgia mixed with awe when walking into the store for the first time.

“This furniture takes you back to your roots and evokes memories of safety, home and family.” She agreed the rustic style isn’t for everyone, but the business itself was created by people who couldn’t find furniture anywhere else that fit well into a log home; but they did find one another and teamed up. “We got together to fill a void. It all goes back to that ‘It’s not just furniture or an accessory.’”

She, too, has a log home and finds herself fortunate to have met up with Taylor and Jim Chaney who co-own the business.

Laster opened the store last November. “Within three months we made plans and did a whirlwind of trade shows” she said. In fact, The Refuge Lifestyle won first place at Tulsa’s Home and Garden Show for Indoor Decor. First place for Outdoor Decor went to Ted Ryder of--well, Bixby.

“Chris Roberts was the first one I hired,” Taylor said later in the workshop. “I put him on remodeling which is what I was doing. First thing you know, we were building furniture. And then first thing you know, we couldn’t catch up.”

“We are a family,” he reiterated. “We might have an altercation during the day when the pressure’s on and it’s hot, but by the end of the day, it’s forgotten.”

Taylor calls building furniture, much of it custom, a unique business. “Not everyone can do it. It takes a skilled craftsman with foresight who can figure out the trends. The store has done well, and we try and be part of the community.

Rustic Log Beds Are Nice | Rowan Art Crawl | Art and Home Decor

In reviewing the rustic log beds should be noted that the price is not always the determining factor between quality and mediocrity. Due to the nature and the materials used in the manufacture of rustic furniture, you can often find beautiful pieces at bargain prices. While it is true that often “what you pay for” rustic furniture allows for more exceptions to that rule … to shop around!

Another very practical advice for a good price, buy!Rustic furniture is often a more contemporary counterparts, so when treated properly rustic pieces can easily last for generations. Before continuing, let me briefly mention that the commitment to quality should never be second to nothing in the record of the furniture industry. When saving a dollar here or there, if you spend time and money to choose the right side in the first place can also serve the rest of his life. Rustic log beds are no exception.

Log Home Design

Log Home Design

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Log Home Design

Log Home Living