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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Get the Dwell Newsletter
Be the first to see our latest home tours, design news, and more.