The first step would be to have the cabin be of a traditional cabin design. You may have missed that step.

One step would be to remove 'white' from the exterior as a color choice. But the exterior of the second can be replicated. It'll take finishing skill to do it with cement board. And the time involved usually means diy to be affordable.

Thank you for your thoughts. I would love suggestions on siding colors. Something neutral that would make the house blend into its wooded setting.

View from the back of the house- the trees will be removed.

I see exactly what you mean about removing all white from exterior. I am encouraged that it is doable- hopefully we can get a happy medium to make it look more rustic. Thank you.

Both photos are of eclectic trendy designs and a bit overwrought. Mark is right; start with the forms not the materials and colors. Simple is better.

This is what popped up when I Googled.

Old look:

Rusted barn tin roofing

Wooden or copper gutters(copper will tarnish)

Faux stone facade(cheaper than stone)

Old barn wood siding

Stone steps

None of which will be cheap. It is usually expensive to get the 'old' look.

The materials on the lower cabin are likely Cedar siding, plank, not plywood, cedar facia. Cortin metal roofing.... metal that rusts & cedar shake. The siding looks unstained or unmaintained.

Unconvincing and imitative. I worked for an architect in Aspen for a year. I got sick of it and left but not until the end of the season.

To make it look old use real materials in a traditional manner. Red cedar shingles will last as long as the imitative stuff with less maintenance (you need to paint fiber-cement) It also helps if your designer is old.

These examples look too dark and foreboding for a vacation house. They also look unnecessarily expensive.

"It also helps if your designer is old."

I just thought that was worth repeating.

Only the brave survive to become old.

It had to be said.

I think that hip roof would have to go to look like any sort of cabin. the high hat roof is a McMansion suburban style - not what would have been in a wood. I can see a cabin being a story and a half, where you maximize the rooms under roof.

You need a new plan.

You could begin by looking at true cabins, not some stock plan knock-off. The 1930s Steiner cabins at Oregon's Mt. Hood are a great starting point:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD8E92vqB6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvCnMPu9s5M

As Mark mentioned, if you want a rustic cabin with a vintage feel and sense of place, LEAVE THE TREES. Even the uncabins you've posted had the good sense to leave the mature trees. Contrary to popular misconception, trees such as yours do not block the view, they frame it. Of course, builders advocate clear-cutting, as it is simpler and more profitable for them, but it reduces your property value and utterly destroys the cabin feel.

There are old architects

and there are bold architects

but there are no old, bold architects.

Oh wait. That's pilots. Never mind.

Thank you all so much- searching for the right plan now. I really appreciate your help- great advice.

Don't look for a plan, look for an architect.

You can always look for a real log cabin that can be moved- $$$, but super authentic! I live in an 1840’s log cabin- authenticity is about building processes as much as materials. The craftsmen skilled in the old ways are few and far between these days, but they can be found especially if you live in an area with older homes. Our home has a dry stack stone foundation and two dry stack beehive chimneys, exposed log with lime mortar inside and board and batton siding, medium to wide plank hardwood flooring (we were able to save much of the original floor, so it’s not tongue and groove), and our main floor ceiling has the second floor joists exposed. We just replaced a ~50 year old standing seam metal roof, black, with another but discovered that the first roof has been added directly on top of cedar shake.

Its worth it to us, but for what it’s worth, it’s not an easy home to maintain. The lime mortar is hella dusty and has to be cared for and repointed, our board and batton is painted and must be redone every 10 years or so. The floors are nearly impossible to deep clean (steamer is my method of attack) because they are uneven and have gaps. So historical accuracy may not be the best choice for a vacation cabin ;)