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The cabin’s exterior is clad in dark-stained western red cedar and fiber cement panels, and its cantilevered deck provides panoramic views.

The home is nestled in a stand of cedar, pine, and Douglas fir trees. The family relocated a smaller cabin to make room for their new retreat, and they plan to convert the original structure into a game room for the kids.

The Far Cabin by Winkelman Architecture is set on the forested coast of Maine.

Sited on a rock ledge, the Far Cabin’s screened porch cantilevers over the forest floor for a tree house effect.

On Bainbridge Island, Jim and Hannah Cutler created a cabin for reading and working. Sited just steps from the main house, it’s a welcoming retreat that the father and daughter share.

The Willow & Juniper tree house by ArtisTree

The Willow & Juniper tree house by ArtisTree

The Willow & Juniper tree house by ArtisTree

The Lofthaven tree house by ArtisTree

The Playa Viva tree house by ArtisTree

The Playa Viva tree house by ArtisTree

The Playa Viva tree house by ArtisTree

The Playa Viva tree house by ArtisTree

Mithun designed the tree house so that it would tread lightly on the land. The firm originally considered prefabricating the entire structure offsite but, in the research process, concluded that craning large modules into place would potentially harm the canopy. A combination of a bolted-together prefab structure and site-built wood housing yielded the least intrusive construction option. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is located in West Virginia's coal mining country. The architects looked to the local structures—bridges, mining apparatus, and other industrial buildings—to inform the tree house's design. A 166-ton Cor-Ten steel megastructure supports the 125-foot-tall building. The use of regionally appropriate materials, like steel and black locust wood, was important to the architects.