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Unpainted plywood wraps all around the living areas to give the interior "a warmth and texture that interacts beautifully with the external Blackbutt timber," says Jackson. "It has a robust , durable, and tactile quality that sits well with the internal concrete floors."

Nokken modular cabin can be customized to suit almost any natural setting.

After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.

Conveniently located in their backyard, the office allows the couple to run their practice while staying close to their kids.

The organic placement of the windows echoes the knots on the trunks of the surrounding trees.

The Space Floor Plan

“They fit with the aesthetics of the house and the minimalistic feel of it,” says Laura. “Plus they are made locally, which is also important for us.”

In Australia, a manufacturer and an architecture firm create an off-grid home that can be broken down and shipped across the world.

Floor plan of The Ray by Manta North

Spacecube and Breathe were already collaborating on a demonstration unit for the Adaptable Living series when jeep suggested trying a remote location, to portray idyllic off-grid living.

“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.