Karie Higgins and Lee Gibson had been searching for a cabin within easy driving distance of Portland, Oregon for about two years, spending most weekends driving out to the coast and Mount Hood in their quest. Their efforts were becoming a list of near-misses; they had put down offers on a place in Manzanita and an A-Frame in the Mount Hood forest, but neither option panned out.

By the time Higgins stepped onto the deck of this cabin outside Tillamook–with 328 feet of private frontage on the Wilson River– she was already in love, yet fearing the impending loss. “There were already two offers on it, and it had only just gone up that day,” says Higgins. “I thought I was going to start crying because I felt, ‘This is the place.’ We're standing on the deck, the river was right there and I thought, ‘This is literally heaven.’"

Fortunately, the first offer fell-through, and the couple’s bid was the back-up, so Higgins and Gibson swooped in and bought it. The cabin had been built in 1963, most likely as a fishing outpost, and was perfectly suited to their needs. “We had always dreamed about having a cabin somewhere in the country where we could spread out,” says Higgins.

The 1,057-square-foot layout hosts one open living/dining/kitchen area, lined with windows and a deck that overlook the river. That main room is complemented by two small bedrooms and a bath. “Most places we'd seen were quite dark, with small decks and not very many windows, so they would have required a lot of structural changes,” says Higgins. But the modifications for their new “River Cabaan,” as the couple have dubbed it, would be primarily cosmetic.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

“The [natural] light was amazing in the great room, but it was really just a matter of brightening it up and removing some of the heavier elements to make it feel more spacious,” says Higgins. The first step in the makeover was to paint out the interior in what Higgins refers to as the most "generic white paint" they could find (it was "basically primer," says Higgins). The couple retained the wood trim on all of the windows and doors for understated contrast. Down came the clunky upper cabinets in the kitchen, and the wood paneling in the bedrooms was also painted, so the small spaces felt less claustrophobic.

“It was really a process of refining and pulling as many things out of the space as we could and then putting them back thoughtfully, and figuring out where the points are that you want people to experience and focus on. The view out to the river is definitely at the top of the hierarchy of elements,” says Higgins.

Shop the Look

Before: Dining Nook and Kitchen

After: Dining Nook and Kitchen

Higgins, who has a background in interior design, and Gibson, who studied architecture, added a mix of furniture and accessories throughout to convey a laidback, boho feel that’s suitable to a vacation cabin.

“We wanted it to feel cozy, because you're by the river, but also not cluttered,” says Higgins. “I think sometimes cabins can go the way of being quite cluttered and full of things. We don't find that relaxing, and I think people appreciate that when they go and stay out at the cabin there’s not a ton of things.”

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

Before: Bunk Room

After: Bunk Room

Before: Bedroom

After: Bedroom

Nightly rates at the River Cabaan start at $245. Book on Air BnB here.

Related Reading:

7 Unbelievable Rustic Cabin Makeovers

A Coastal Retreat in Oregon Stars Tiny Cabins and Upgraded Airstreams

Project Credits:

Design: Karie Higgins and Lee Gibson