Cabin

“I believe that whenever you’re hiring an artist, and Funn is an artist, he’s going to do his best work if he’s trusted,” says Kartheiser.

The 1,500-square-foot cabin merges traditional and modern, and the couple's mutual desire to balance comfort with the bare necessities, living lightly on the land while fully engaging with their surroundings. Photo by Shai Gil.

The House for a Musher is all about taking advantage of its hilltop site. The courtyard in the front has vast views and the house itself is oriented toward the surrounding landscape.

Tiny houses are spreading across the world—and probably because it really just makes sense. The tiny home lifestyle is the ultimate application of creative resourcefulness, and allows residents to reduce their environmental footprints without sacrificing good design.

The hideaway grows darker as residents move through the space toward the bedroom. The only light in the sleeping space enters indirectly from the nearby glass façade, as well as from a small ventilation window in the northern corner.

Large sliding glass doors allow daylight to fill the living room. Smaller windows are placed in the kitchen area and the sleeping loft. The exterior is clad in heart pine which needs very little up-keep and is known for its strength and hardness.

The house may appear conventional at a glance, but a closer look shows how Oostenbruggen has pushed the boundaries of the traditional gabled typology. It has an asymmetrical roof, with slate shingles that extend down the eastern side to close it off completely.

Light breaks through the bedroom's north wall through a vertical window that cuts from the floor up past the second floor mezzanine to the roof's ridgeline. The bed is custom.

The house's ceiling was hewn from Douglas fir, which gives off a warm glow. The rafters were designed to emulate the look of strong ceiling beams.

The bedroom is to the immediate right of the entrance; the architects selected plywood for interior surfacing for the warm tones it provided. The aluminum spacers allow for easy installation—they have greater tolerances for gaps as compared to other joints—while doubling as a decorative element.

A polychrome facade made of salvaged, 100-year-old barnwood gives this small, lofted cottage space its unique character. Its copper roof is also reclaimed, a lucky Craigslist find from a local remodel. Though the structure has a footprint of just 11' x 14', it provides a useful space to entertain, catch up on work, or relax.

Kartheiser's courtyard also includes a dry sauna with a ceiling made from 2,500 pieces of wood.

“We talked a lot about the idea of being on a campsite. Everything is very functional; everything can be made into something else.”—Karen Stonely, architect

Designed by Cal Poly Pomona students, this factory-built Wedge cabin prototype features plywood interiors for a raw and rustic vibe.

Philip Jodidio's Cabins (Taschen, November 2014) chronicles how architects have explored the concept of a minimal, low-impact, and isolated abode. The book features photographs, illustrations, and text detailing projects from around the world.