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Tour a Rustic Riverside Retreat in Pennsylvania

Posted November 17, 2023 by L0304

The vision for Ron and Deborah Miller’s Emlenton, Pennsylvania, getaway began with a tin coffee cup. Deborah was at a flea market with her sister-in-law, trying to explain the aesthetic of her dream home. She grabbed a tin coffee cup, the old-timey kind a cowboy might use around a campfire, and said, “This is what I want my house to look like. I don’t want ‘rustic elegance,’ I want rustic. No drywall. And I want a large house with big beams, but I want it to feel cozy like a small camp.” With that visualization in mind, the Millers got exactly that.

“The Camp,” as it’s affectionately referred to by the couple, sits on 13 acres perched about 400 feet above the Allegheny River. Ron’s sister happened on the site while horseback riding one day and knew the view of the river would thrill the Millers and be the perfect spot for their weekend getaway. She was right. Today, the couple spends most of their time on the back porch enjoying the very same view that sold them on the location in the first place.

Ron and Deborah knew from the start that the deck would be a priority. “The original design had it so there was a 5- or 6-inch overhang from the roof, so there was never any place to get any sun,” says Ron. “We extended the deck beyond the overhang so we could get both sun and shade.” The leeway ensured that no matter the weather, they could still enjoy the outside. Then, when the clock strikes cocktail hour, there’s a whisky barrel fire pit perfect for taking in the sunset and the cool mountain air.