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“Certain people don’t feel comfortable camping alone. But in a space like this it feels much safer, and having the amenities — a hot shower, a wood stove, the ability to do some simple cooking — is just perfect," says Castillero.

A long guardrail, made from trees felled to clear the property, doubles as extra seating.

“The tent-like shape resembles a mountain. When the snow falls, the triangle becomes embedded in the landscape,” Tham says.

The kitchen features a Northstar retro refrigerator and a smaller fridge from Big Chill.

In the living/dining area, rough-sawn wood-plank screens cover a wall of windows. The removable panels keep the space cool in summer but are taken down the rest of the year so that the sun can heat the interior. The dining table is from Restoration Hardware and the wood chairs from Barnaby.

Next to the entrance is an area map etched in aluminum by Black Mountain Marking.

Les Rochers floor plan

The couple chose partially open shelving in the kitchen. “We’re not minimalists, and we wanted to display different objects we’ve collected,” Vincent says. The cabinetry, conceived as freestanding pieces of furniture, turned out even better than they had imagined. The dining chairs are from Ikea and the appliances are by KitchenAid.

The firm modeled the home’s interior after typical seaside houses, with a light palette meant to provide a canvas for dramatic plays of sunlight.

The living room holds a Mags Soft Low sofa from Hay, a Mara coffee table from Article, and a Jotul woodstove.

The design changed slightly throughout the building process. For example, the window seat bench was initially going to extend along the entire wall to create an end table near the bed, but then "that tall skinny space appeared,

Christie hung flowers and a lantern in the outhouse to make it "the prettiest outhouse anyone has ever seen."

The 240-square-foot size was determined in part because the cabin needed to be moveable; it's positioned on a cliff, so if the land ever falls in, they can pull the structure further away from the edge.

"There are various dining sets around the houses, so we can choose one that is best protected from the wind or sun," says Aleksi.