Honest Abe Log Home’s Cambridge plan as interpreted by customers Jim and Diana Copper was recently featured in a 12-page article in the Russian architectural magazine, Beautiful Houses for its Wooden Homes edition.
“There’s an interesting story behind how a home on Tennessee’s Dale Hollow Lake ended up on the cover of a Russian magazine,” said Claudia Johnson, Director of Marketing for Honest Abe Log Homes.
Johnson explained that she was approached by Nadia O’Hara, who is the Advertising Manager and is responsible for International Sales at Perma-Chink Systems, Inc., a premier manufacturer of stains, sealants, chinking and other products included in Honest Abe’s log home packages. Honest Abe has had a relationship with Perma-Chink since the company started in the early 1980s not long after Honest Abe itself was launched.
“Nadia was looking for a home to pitch to a Russian magazine for a possible article,” Johnson said. “I immediately thought of the Coppers’ home. I had interviewed Jim and Diana, and among other things, we’d discussed how happy they were with their stains and chinking. When I found out that professional photos had been taken, I knew I could get everything to Nadia quickly.”
Sold to the Coppers by Honest Abe Sales Representative Ethan Birdwell from the Moss Model and Sales Center at the National Headquarters, the home was a second Honest Abe structure for the Coppers, the first having been located in Illinois. James Lewis along with his son Ellery constructed the two-story home, dovetailed square log home. James’ son-in-law, JD Tyre, an architectural photographer from Atlanta, had photographed the interior and exterior as a favor for the Lewises.
“JD’s elevation shots were exactly what was needed to show the tinted stain and dramatic chinking the Coppers had raved about,” Johnson said. “When Nadia saw the photos and read the interview, she agreed this was it. We’d found the right house to submit.”
Finally, in November 2018 the magazine was published.
“It’s on the front cover! I am so excited,” Nadia said, adding, “This is the largest log home magazine in Russia with distribution in France, England, Germany and all Eastern European block countries.”
Soon Alina Kondakov of the publishing company’s international department emailed Honest Abe a .pdf of the 12-page, full color spread and a beautiful image of the cover, promising that printed copies had already been mailed to Honest Abe’s National Headquarters in Moss.
“None of us can read the article, but we can see the words “Honest Abe Log Homes” and “Cambridge” in English throughout the article,” Johnson said. “Honest Abe has shipped internationally many times in its 40-year history. Who knows, maybe the next shipment will be to Russia!”
Read Johnson’s article (in English, of course) about the featured home by clicking HERE. Download the Russian .pdf HERE.
