CABINS

The dining table is from Chilean furniture shop Moblia and the pendants are from Interlight.

The open kitchen is the home’s heart—and its literal center, designed so the couple can host casual gatherings with friends and family. Iragüen Viñuela chose light gray granite countertops, and matching engineered wood cabinets.

“The material palette is the same for the entire house,” says architect Daniel Iragüen, pointing out the porcelain tile floors, laminated pine ceilings, and whitewashed pine slats that form the interior walls.

Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect and Majamaja cofounder Pekka Littow designed a seaside retreat in Finland to showcase the potential of self-sustaining homes. The first cabin was built in 2020, and there are now four along the archipelago outside Helsinki. Prefabricated elements like vertical wood cladding and crisp gables allow the cabins to be dismounted with minimal impact on the landscape.

The steel roofing is from Hamilton in Southern Ontario. The doors were reclaimed from a local hotel. The windows are from a Mississauga company. The trim and cabinetry is milled from oak trees that they cut down to build the driveway. “It’s as local as it gets,” says Liz.

“Barbecue season never ends,” says Liz, explaining how they live with such a small kitchenette. “We even made a cake out there.”

Liz and Matt had to drill a well to provide water for the property. Wastewater is captured and treated with a gravity-fed septic system that will also serve the main dwelling, when it’s completed.

Kevin and Katie enjoy happy hour on their new covered patio. The plantings were inspired by the garden in Mexico where they got married. During the pandemic, "We were like, I want to go on vacation, but we can't, so let's just make our backyard a vacation,

Repurposed Douglas fir (leftovers from concrete formwork from the house build) was used on the ceiling, with a Velux skylight. The custom Douglas Fir bookshelf was designed and fabricated by Kevin, with a desktop made from salvaged pine by Vintage Mill Werks and a Hay stool.

Matte black subway tile from Home Depot surrounds the shower and Kohler tub. The ceiling is natural Douglas fir.

The vintage mid-century modern chair is from the Alameda Flea Market, and the concrete flooring has a hard-trowel natural finish.

In the bathroom, Kevin specified large format porcelain floor tile with staggered 2x8 ceramic Clé Tile on the walls.