Cabin Exteriors

The remote location offers incredible views of the stars.

Clad in natural pine, the building is designed to weather as it may. “As artists, Donna and Oliver love that idea of something living,” says Lolley. “The house is sort of like an art piece in itself. What will it look like next year? What will it look like tomorrow?”

A gravel path leads to a bench meant for slipping off one’s shoes before entering. The slatted screen above the firewood holder helps protect the north façade from snow.

Illuminated roof lanterns beckon to visitors, who must descend a forested roadway to approach Bowen Island House.

"It is a tremendous challenge to build 9,000 feet from the ground, and the site typically receives more than 500 inches of snowfall per year," says architect Brian MacKay-Lyons. "There were no roads or services, and we needed to minimize the amount of concrete used in this project due to the high cost of pouring concrete on a mountaintop."

L'Abri reinterprets the legendary A-frame to create a secluded shelter just north of Ottawa, Canada.

Planning regulations required a gable roof, which the architects split into four shed roofs carefully designed to respond to heavy snow and meet spatial and aesthetic wishes.

The cabin where the sauna is located was painted in black tar.

The living areas have north and south facing glass walls.

Sited on a lake near Bracebridge, Ontario, this small-footprint family cottage was designed by Toronto firm superkül to integrate with its natural surroundings and minimize its environmental impact. The clients, a married couple, had mixed feelings about going completely modern with their cabin's aesthetic, so the architects created a sculptural wood form to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary. Photo by Shai Gil.

Designed by TYIN tegnestue Architects and built by the owners themselves, this cottage celebrates traditional back-to-nature elements in traditional Norwegian culture. Situated amidst marshland, sea-adjacent rock and scattered pine-and juniper-vegetation, careful consideration was made to protect the sensitive surrounding terrain. Only 328 feet from the sea, some marsh had to be cleared in preparing for the construction, exposing bedrock and integrating the cottage within the landscape.

In Washington’s Methow Valley, a modern cabin with an outdoor living room allows views of the surrounding woodland and meadow to perforate its volume. By day, the Chechaquo Lot 6 cabin gives the impression of floating in a forest clearing; by night, its windows glow against the wooded darkness. From all vantage points, the landscape permeates this 1,000-square-foot cabin, designed for two outdoor enthusiasts and tucked at the toe of a dramatic slope in Winthrop, Washington.

"All our products are conceived for a 'zero impact dwelling,'" says Torino, Italy-based Leap Company. "[The mountains] make the best setting to test our products and to find winning solutions to build and live in every place."

The path stops at the master bedroom, where a completely glazed end wall frames the wildflower clearing. “This pathway purposefully links together the architecture of internal rooms and outdoor spaces with discoveries of the site’s varied landscape,” the architects say.

In the living room, a Minotti Held lounge and ottoman center around a Rumford fireplace with a custom metal surround. Fir millwork warms the space.

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.