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Despite its compact footprint, the lodge can comfortably accommodate up to four visitors in its two separate sleeping areas.

The 360° fireplace is the functional and aesthetic centerpiece, serving as the heart of the home where guests can enjoy an early-morning coffee and a late-night chat.

The cabin is part of a larger effort to draw more visitors to the region while amplifying the local culture and history.

This ground-floor plan was used as a reference to build the Canadian Castaway Off-Grid Cabin.

“After the foundations were complete, we had to build the floor and framing,” says the owner. “I asked my friend, who is a woodworker, to help me build the floor, which we did together by following the blueprint of the architect. Then, I asked my friend if he knew a professional framer. He called his friend and the three of us installed the timber frame together in a week.”

The owner had to build a “materials elevator”—a 90-foot ramp with a buggy and a winch—to bring construction materials from the bottom of the cliff to the building site on the top. Today, it’s used to transport firewood up the steep site.

Living in a remote cabin poses challenges in the cold winter months. “The latest challenge is keeping the two 1000-liter backup rainwater tanks in the shed at the back of the house from freezing,” says the owner. “I experimented this winter with installing a doc-fan ventilation system in the connecting wall that pushes heat from inside the house to the shed to keep it hovering just above freezing point.”

A small, open wardrobe space is also located on the second floor, next to the editing studio and the raised loft bedroom.

The bathroom features a freestanding tub made from an upcycled feeding trough from a farm, and a salvaged door. There is a composting toilet, and water comes from a 1000-liter rainwater tank located on the second floor.

A hammock chair in the living room overlooks the wood stove at the center and the sofa against the west wall, creating a cozy living space.

The main living area on the ground floor has 20-foot-high ceilings and an open floor plan. The high ceilings allow the 395-square-foot home to feel expansive, light, and breezy. In cold weather, the owner grows seedlings by the south-facing windows.

The bedroom is on a mezzanine level at the top of the home, and is accessed via three small steps next to the closet space. There are no curtains on the windows, and the owner wakes up with the first morning light.

The L-shaped kitchen is located by the entrance to the home, and has a window looking out to the north. Medicinal plants and flowers foraged from the surrounding forest are hung from the roof to dry.

Canadian Castaway features a simple and rustic aesthetic with a focus on raw materials. "I didn’t want to paint the wood white, for instance," the owner says. "I just wanted to let it age naturally and invite it to mirror the natural world it's now a part of."

“I’ve been looking at cabins and small homes since I was a teenager,” says the owner. “I knew I wanted the home to have a small footprint, but for the interior space to still feel open and expansive.” This informed the interior planning, as he knew he didn’t want the upper floors to completely enclose the ground floor. By minimizing the second floor and including an open third-floor loft bedroom, he was able to maintain a spacious feeling and avoid making the interior spaces feel too enclosed.

Designer Sohei Nakanishi created a seaside family getaway in Japan’s Chiba prefecture as a retreat from urban life. The facade integrates a mix of natural materials that reference the home’s surroundings, in addition to a courtyard that sports a bright-citrus accent shade.

Reilly, pictured here, deleted the original front door in order to create an expanse of uninterrupted wall in the living room. The existing slider is now the main entry point. She clad the exterior with planks marketed as a shou sugi ban product that reads as burned, knotty cedar. A new, corrugated metal roof replaced asphalt shingles.

Julia and Dusty Wheeler’s family home in San Diego features a curated collection of handmade pieces, vintage treasures, global goods, and skateboarding memorabilia. The midcentury residence sports a classic "Southern California cool" ambience.

Architect and surfer Kenichiro Iwakiri transformed a 40-year-old cottage into his own beach house in Shonan, Japan. This region, located south of Tokyo, is known for its surf spots.