Birch ply interior siding

This Toronto workspace designed by architect Anya Moryoussef features an 18-foot-long built-in floating desk with integrated storage.

In the new living room, the floors are covered in pine wood with a Bona Craft Oil finish in Frost, and the walls and ceiling are coated in lime plaster, Mortex by Beal. The handmade hanging chair, made of plaster, is a favorite spot for the couple’s cat, Paka.

Appliances cost the Bunkleys around $3,000.

Designed by Arba, the retreat’s enclosed garden provides outdoor space out of the wind while the cuts give it a strong connection with the setting.

“Opening the house to the southwest also gave the best chance of hearing the ocean noises in the house at night,” says Sabbeth. A Malm Firedrum 3 fireplace anchors the corner, with a cream Piero Lissoni sofa, coffee table by Andrianna Shamaris and leather Cassina chairs placed before it.

Bae Brandtzaeg describes the cabin as “one large piece of furniture,” since the height difference between its varying levels provide built-in perches for sitting and lounging.

The architects designed the large glass expanses in the dining and living areas so that their frames are hidden from view. “I love the way the light comes into the cabin and meets the curved surfaces of the walls and ceilings,” Bae Brandtzæg says. The kitchen’s custom cabinets were designed by Atelier Oslo and constructed by the contractor, Byggmester Bård Bredesen. The gas-powered stove, oven, and fridge are by VERA.

The cabin’s undulating curves are fixed by a prefabricated, laminated wood structure with a subdivision of Kerto CNC-milled plywood. “It defines the geometry of both the interior and the exterior,” Bae Brandtzæg says.

The cabin’s exterior walls and roof are clad in overlapping stone plates that mimic the look of traditional wood paneling found in Western Norway. “It provides an affinity with the cabins nearby,” partner and architect Nils Ole Bae Brandtzæg explains. Solar panels cover the chimney pipe, lighting LED lamps inside.

This 530-square-foot prefab in East Sussex, England, was designed by Michael Kendrick Architects for a family who wanted to build a woodland retreat/rental on their property. Immersing the lodge into the forest reflects the family’s intent to, as the architects explain, “enhance the ecological biodiversity of the area, protect wildlife, and enable guests … to understand and appreciate the fauna, flora, and unique history and nature of the area, while supporting and promoting the local economy.”

Constructed from locally sourced poplar plywood, the lightweight cabin was designed to be mobile and can be moved around the campsite depending on the season.

The cabin structure and arches are made of locally sourced poplar plywood. The design team selected this material because of its fast-growing characteristics and wide availability in the Netherlands. "Because they grow fast, there is a lot of water in the tree," add the architects. "During drying, this water is replaced by air—that’s why this wood insulates, and therefore feels warm and pleasant (it is the same wood type used for making clogs). The wood does not splinter, and it is non-toxic."

The compact, 162-square-foot cabin is simply furnished with a fixed bed, a compact and fully equipped kitchen, a wood-burning stove, and a bathroom with a composting toilet. Shower facilities are located in a communal bathhouse on the campground.

City House by SMS Arquitectos features a second-floor townhouse extension that explores new possibilities with plywood.

Istanbul-based architecture firm SO? built the tiny cabin with plywood both inside and out, and also used birch plywood for some of the furnishings.