These 14 Cabin Floor Plans Will Make Your Outdoorsy Dreams Come True
Far from the hustle and bustle of daily life, cabins are sanctuaries designed for unplugging and connecting with Mother Nature. If you’re dreaming of building your own retreat, read on—we’ve rounded up floor plans for serene getaways that will have you yearning for a comfortable stay in the great outdoors.
Casa Prebarco by 2DM Architects
In the Chilean eco-community of Fundo Puertecillo, 2DM Architects designed a gemstone-shaped dwelling that cantilevers out toward the Pacific Ocean. The asymmetrical shape gives the cabin a dynamic look from the exterior, and the layout maximizes ocean views.
The compact, 615-square-foot cabin houses an open living area and kitchen on the ground floor and a bedroom and bath on the second floor. An expansive deck off the south side of the cabin expands its footprint into the great outdoors.
Olson Kundig designed this tall, treehouse-like cabin on a 40-acre property in the woods of Vermont. With a streamlined silhouette and simple materials—weathered Cor-Ten steel, timber and concrete—the getaway blends into its forest backdrop.
The cabin’s small footprint minimizes interference with the natural surroundings. Three stacked stories give the family plenty of space, with living and dining areas on the top floor; two bedrooms on the main level; and a bunk room, garage, and game room in the basement.
In the lush Constantia Valley of Cape Town, South Africa, sits a floating cabin designed by Malan Vorster Architecture as a retreat on a family estate. Made of glass, steel, and vertical timber slats, the lofted hideaway is thoughtfully tucked away in the trees to enhance the feeling of getting away.
This pinwheel-like floor plan consists of four circles overlapping a square. The curvaceous, 720-square-foot cabin’s layout spans three stories, with the living areas on the first, the bedroom on the next, and an open-air platform for taking in vistas on top.
The rugged landscape of Hallvardøy Island in northern Norway informed the aesthetics and positioning of this Snorre Stinessen-designed home—from the rock formations it’s sandwiched between to the fjord and mountain vistas.
The 2,150-square-foot glass-and-timber cabin is divided into two zones: a two-story section housing bedrooms and a sauna, and an adjacent offset area with an open-concept living, dining, and kitchen area.
This pint-sized plywood-and-corrugated-metal cabin was carefully constructed to minimize site disturbance in a forested enclave of São Paulo, Brazil. Designed by Brazilian architect Silvia Acar, the retreat has a glass facade, which allows cabin dwellers to feel at one with nature.
In the 270-square-foot cabin, the bedroom accounts for a majority of the space, with a narrow adjacent kitchenette and a small bathroom tucked away in the back corner. The bedroom and kitchen open up to a 76-square-foot timber deck with sweeping views.
Japanese architect Tono Mirai created a forested retreat for a Tokyo family in Nagano, Japan. Known as the Shell House, the cozy cabin was constructed with rammed earth walls that are covered in wood shingles, along with other locally sourced materials like Japanese red pine, cypress, and cedar.
The 625-square-foot cabin is split between two levels. The ground floor includes a living area, kitchen, and raised platform for sleeping and dining, and giant glazed pocket doors open up to a two-tiered timber deck. Upstairs, a large open-concept space holds areas for living and sleeping.
Using local storm-felled timber and working within a budget of around $30,000, the London-based architecture firm De Rosee Sa created the Woodland Cabin on a lake in the village of Nouvelles in southern Belgium.
Exposed wood beams add volume to the main room of the compact, 377-square-foot cabin. One side of the cabin houses a narrow bathroom, while the other side includes a covered porch. The main living room opens up to a wood deck that wraps around the structure to take advantage of picturesque lake views.
Wisconsin’s Madeline Island on Lake Superior is the ideal locale for a cabin, but its remote location makes construction pricy and cumbersome. To avoid high costs of labor, the homeowners worked with MSR Architects and Mast Construction to prefabricate two modules (with preinstalled heating, plumbing, and electrical) that were transported to the island via ferry and assembled on-site.
The heart of the 1,603-square-foot cabin contains the living and dining areas, while the primary bedroom, kitchen, and screened porch and deck are situated along the western side of the home for optimal sunset views. The eastern side of the cabin houses two guest bedrooms and a laundry room.
On the Swedish island of of Viggsö, the Stockholm-based architecture firm Arrhov Frick designed a two-story minimalist cabin made from timber, corrugated metal, and fiber-reinforced plastic for a family of five.
The first floor of the 430-square-foot cabin consists of a living and dining area that opens onto a 215-square-foot deck overlooking the water. A walled-off bedroom and bathroom are tucked behind the living spaces, and an open sleeping loft lies on the second story.
Ho Chi Minh City–based Mỹ An Architects designed geometric pine-clad cabins as a collaborative live/work space for employees at Vietnam’s Ta Nung Homestay. Two cabins, totaling 5,400 square feet, are connected by a shared timber deck that is elevated on stilts above the forest floor.
The layout is designed to enhance collaboration, with a smaller structure housing a primary suite and living room. The larger, rectilinear cabin holds workspaces, meeting areas, and two bedrooms. Sandwiched between the two structures, a large timber deck is intended for social gatherings and connecting with nature.
Taking into account the homeowners’ budget and the property’s remote location on Canada’s Poisson Blanc Lake, Montreal-based Naturehumaine Architects designed this compact, square-shaped cabin for efficient material use. With white-painted pine walls and a white steel roof, the minimalist dwelling fades into its snowy backdrop.
The 1,250-square-foot cabin is nestled into the side of slope overlooking the lake. The lower level holds a playroom, bath, laundry room, utility space, and two kids’ bedrooms. Upstairs, the main floor houses the primary suite and living areas.
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects designed 40-some cabins for an eco resort on Ontario’s Bigwin Island, drawing inspiration from the cottages and boathouses found throughout the area. The community features three different cabin plans ranging from 1,200 to 1,350 square feet.
The "pinwheel cabin" floor plan is used for structures that line the property’s meadow. Two neighboring decks take in views, while a voluminous room with a skylight hosts an open-concept living, dining, and kitchenette area. A compact wing off the back holds the bedrooms.
Whitten Architects took a couple’s love for adobe homes and the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic and created a cabin that is an architectural mash-up of Japanese, Scandinavian, and Shaker styles. Located on New Hampshire’s Loon Lake, the 1,500-square-foot cabin’s design blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living.
A T-shaped floor plan divides the public and private spaces by the foyer. The living room, which overlooks Loon Lake, was positioned for optimal sunlight. The neighboring terrace provides an outdoor extension of the living area.
When designing his personal ski getaway, architect Erling Berg wanted a compact floor plan to cut down on construction costs, but also needed a cabin that would fit all the comforts of home for his family. The final product is a minimalist ski cabin made from local untreated pine in Norway’s snowy Kvitfjell Mountains.
Berg was able to thoughtfully incorporate four bedrooms, two baths, a sauna, and spacious living areas in just under 1,600 square feet by drawing inspiration from traditional boat design. To create a larger feel in the cozy cabin, the architect drew upon Frank Lloyd Wright’s compression and release principle: he juxtaposed cozy corridors with spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings.
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