These Tiny Prefab Cabins Can Be Wheeled Into Place to Create Entire Resorts

Moliving’s luxe cabins will complete Hurley House, a lakeside retreat set to open this summer in upstate New York.

Text by

Stephen Zacks

Photos by

David Mitchell

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In a bid to capture the attention of city dwellers looking for a quick country escape, Hurley House, which will supplant the now-defunct Twin Lakes Resort in the Hudson Valley, is installing a series of Scandi-inspired prefabs meant to give guests the feel of a private retreat.

Moliving’s cabins are prefabricated steel structures insulated with spray foam and clad in composite wood panels.

Designed by Moliving, each standalone, 400-square-foot unit is like a hotel suite. At the front is a deck, where an entry leads past a bathroom, into a living area with clerestory windows, and then to a wood-paneled bedroom fronted by a window and doors that open onto a patio with a lakefront view. Sleek interior finishes, like a blend of tile in the bathroom, and wood cladding around the mini bar, give it a refined feel. Rounding out the accommodation is a hot tub positioned to the side.

Past the entrance, a skylit bathroom, minibar, and lounge resemble a traditional hotel suite.

The lounge area gets light from a floor-to-ceiling window, and features a mix of sleek furnishing, finishes, and fixtures.

Compared to traditional building methods, Moliving’s designs make creating a resort like Hurley House a snap. The 400-square-foot units are framed with light-gauge steel, insulated with spray foam, clad in wood composite boards, and built on chassis with axles so they can be wheeled in and out of place. Hoteliers can presumably order up however many units they require—and do so on a seasonal basis—to build out retreats that cater to destination travelers.

A desk is integrated into the bed’s headboard, and positioned for views out over the lake.

The desk and bedroom are complete with dark wood paneling that distinguishes it from the brighter living area.

The bedroom flows seamlessly out onto the rear deck, which is equipped with Adirondack chairs.

All the bathroom surfaces are tiled, and the vanity is designed in the Scandinavian modern manner.

"The strength of prefab and modular building is in scaling up production of units, and this fits hospitality development much better," says architect Steven Chen, who worked with Moliving’s founder, Jordan Bem, to develop the prefab designs. In following national code and keeping the units at a certain size—they’re considered "park model" trailers by the U.S. Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA)—Moliving hopes to sell units to resorts across the country.

In addition to the accommodations provided by Moliving, Hurley House will be rounded out with a restaurant, bar, and swimming pool.

Blond wood shelving and traditional hotel amenities adorn the bathroom.

The same wood shelving was used for the minibar in the living area.

The bedroom is clad in darker wood paneling, which surrounds the sleeping area and flows out onto the deck.

Built by Brooklyn-based SG Blocks—which manufactures prefab units for multifamily projects across the country out of its production facility in Durant, Oklahoma—the units at Hurley House can function on and off the grid. Black and gray water tanks allow them to function independently, but since Hurley’s will stay put, they’ve been connected to septic. Their roofs are also equipped with solar panels, which help to limit energy consumption, but the park model RVIA standard requires a 50-amp electrical connection. Situated outside the border of the nearest town of Kingston, NY, they will receive water from a well on site.

While Moliving has positioned itself as a sustainable alternative to resort building, environmental costs will always be inevitable. Still, it feels like a step in the right direction, especially when the real attraction is being surrounded by the outdoors.