The Luxury Forest Getaway for People Who Don't Do Rustic

Gorgeous oranges and golds surround Twelve34 House in late October and Early November

There's a certain kind of person who loves the idea of getting away to the woods, but isn't necessarily looking for a "rustic" vacation.

You want to wake up surrounded by trees. That's the kind of luxury forest getaway I love - the kind that let's you immerse yourself in nature while still feeling completely at home. You want the quiet, the privacy, the fire pit, the hiking trails, and the feeling that you've temporarily escaped the pace of everyday life. You might even be perfectly happy spending an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing, which, if we're being honest, is sometimes the whole point of taking a vacation in the first place.

But you also appreciate a comfortable bed. You like a beautiful space. You want a kitchen that makes you want to cook instead of one where you find yourself wondering which drawer contains the forks. After a day of hiking through Hocking Hills, you'd like a really good shower, and at the end of the evening, you wouldn't mind slipping into a hot tub surrounded by trees.

In other words, you love the forest. You're just not particularly interested in roughing it.

We understand.

There's a difference between rustic and being surrounded by nature

The two are often treated as if they're the same thing, but they're really not.

Rustic is a style. Nature is an experience.

You can spend the morning hiking through the Hocking Hills, come home with muddy boots and tired legs, and still return to a place that feels beautifully designed, comfortable, and thoughtfully considered. You can have the privacy and quiet of a secluded forest retreat without giving up the things that make a vacation genuinely relaxing.

That's the idea behind Twelve34 House.

Rather than trying to recreate a traditional cabin experience, Twelve34 House was designed to offer a different way to experience the woods—one that feels modern and comfortable while remaining completely connected to its surroundings.

The forest isn't something you drive past on your way to the house. It's what you came here for.

The forest is the amenity

One of the things we love most about a getaway in Hocking Hills is that you really don't need to fill every minute.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to get out and explore. Hocking Hills is home to spectacular hiking trails, waterfalls, caves, cliffs, and some of the most beautiful scenery in Ohio. There is always another trail to discover or another overlook worth finding.

But eventually, you come back. You take off your hiking shoes, settle in, and realize that the house itself has become part of the vacation.

At Twelve34 House, the forest is always right there. You see it through the windows, from the outdoor spaces, and as you relax in the hot tub or gather around the fire. The trees aren't simply a pretty backdrop for the house; they are part of the experience of staying here.

That's why we don't think a forest retreat needs to compete with nature. The best ones give you a beautiful, comfortable place from which to enjoy it.

Sometimes that means spending the day exploring Hocking Hills and coming home exhausted in the best possible way. Other times, it means making coffee, looking out at the trees, and deciding that whatever you had planned can probably wait.

Both are good vacations.

Luxury is in the details you don't have to think about

We've all stayed somewhere that looked wonderful in the photos but didn't quite live up to the experience. Maybe the bed wasn't nearly as comfortable as it appeared. Maybe the kitchen had beautiful countertops but somehow no useful place to put anything. Maybe the furniture was stylish enough for Instagram but not actually designed for anyone to sit in for more than ten minutes.

The best kind of luxury, in our opinion, is much less about showing off and much more about getting the details right.

It's a bed you genuinely look forward to at the end of the day. It's a kitchen where you can make breakfast without having to improvise. It's lighting that makes the house feel warm in the evening and beautiful in the morning. It's having enough space to gather with the people you came with while still being able to find a quiet corner when you need one.

It's the things that make you stop thinking about the logistics of your vacation and start enjoying it.

That's the kind of luxury we had in mind when we created Twelve34 House. Not luxury for the sake of having more, but a thoughtful, comfortable experience that feels effortless.

What makes a luxury forest getaway feel like home?

There's a misconception that modern design and a cozy getaway don't necessarily belong together. We don't agree.

Twelve34 House was designed to feel contemporary without losing the warmth that makes you want to settle in and stay a while. The clean lines and modern aesthetic are there, but so are the comfortable places to land, the warm lighting, and the connection to the forest outside every window.

The goal was never to bring the city into the woods. It was to create a home that lets you experience the woods without asking you to give up comfort to do it.

Thoughtful design should include everyone

There's another part of thoughtful design that matters to us, and that's accessibility.

For travelers with mobility needs, accessibility can determine whether a vacation feels genuinely relaxing or whether every part of the trip requires additional planning and consideration. It can also make a tremendous difference for families traveling with parents or grandparents, or for groups that include people with different mobility needs.

At Twelve34 House, accessibility was considered as part of the overall design rather than added as an afterthought.

That matters to us because we believe a beautiful vacation home should be a place where more people can comfortably participate in the experience. Accessibility shouldn't have to mean that a space feels institutional or that thoughtful design has been sacrificed in the process.

The best design is simply design that considers the people who will actually use the space.

We think that's true whether someone needs specific accessibility features or simply appreciates the ease that comes from a home that has been designed thoughtfully from the beginning.

The best part of a Hocking Hills adventure might be coming home

Hocking Hills is a wonderful place to explore, and we hope you do. There are waterfalls to find, trails to hike, caves to explore, and plenty of reasons to get outside and see what makes this part of Ohio so special.

But one of the things we love about staying in a private forest retreat is knowing that you have somewhere equally enjoyable waiting for you at the end of the day.

After a morning on the trails, you can come home and slow down. After an afternoon exploring, you can spend the evening outside. You can sit around the fire, soak in the hot tub, cook a meal together, or simply look out at the trees and realize that you don't have anywhere else you need to be.

That's the balance we love about Twelve34 House.

You can have the adventure and the comfort. You can spend the day exploring and the evening completely at home. You can be surrounded by nature without feeling like you've sacrificed the things that make a place feel special.

Maybe you don't want a rustic cabin. Maybe you want the forest.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a traditional log cabin, and we know plenty of people love that experience.

But it isn't the only way to enjoy the woods.

Some of us are drawn to the forest because we want the quiet, the privacy, and the chance to slow down. We also happen to appreciate good architecture, thoughtful design, comfortable beds, beautiful surroundings, and the little details that make a place feel like it was created with intention.

We want to be immersed in nature without feeling like we're roughing it.

If that sounds like you, maybe you're not looking for a rustic cabin at all. Maybe you're looking for a modern forest retreat.

That's what we set out to create with Twelve34 House: a place where the forest is part of the experience, where comfort and design work together, and where you can spend your time exploring Hocking Hills—or doing absolutely nothing at all.

Either way, we think you'll feel right at home.

Twelve34 House is the forest, reimagined.

Jami Jenkins, author

Home Page