I took great pains to design and build The Hermitage with a goal in mind that it would be "time zone transitional," that it would take one out of the 21st century and gently transport you back to a simpler, slower time. When I'm up there, I make an effort to sit and relax in various areas, since each room has its own ambiance.
The living and dining room is furnished with "Old West/Settler, late 1800's" in mind, while the den is more "Trapper/Indian Style." Both rooms are decorated with many fur pelts; mink, otter, beaver, coyote, martin, muskrat, racoon, fox, nutria, wolf and bear. The basement, with its sofa/hide-a-bed, is done in old barn boards, with an old barbed-wire display and a rusty gold pan that has a great wood burning stove. It also has two large windows, as well as a separate exterior door.
There is a guest book at The Hermitage and I go through it each season, and it seems to be a consensus that meals and relaxing with a cup of coffee on the back deck is a favorite pastime. Numerous honeymoon couples have chosen to begin their lives together visiting The Hermitage, and other guests spend their time reading and recharging. The change in scenery, actually, the relocation back to another century has its own therapeutic effects.