The cabin came about over whitefish sandwiches and iced teas. In a local tavern in a sleepy lakeside town in Northern Michigan, Pennsylvania-based couple Kevin and Anna broke bread, talked ideas, and drew a few initial sketches of a new retreat with Peter Bohlin and Bill James, the cofounder and architectural designer, respectively, of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ).

At a glance, the modest 1,000-square-foot cabin the group ultimately built is at odds with anything BCJ has done before, which includes glass-walled Apple stores, expansive yet restrained residences, and civic landmarks from libraries to university buildings. So how did the firm come to take on what, according to Kevin, is the firm’s smallest project yet?

Kevin grew up traveling from northeastern Pennsylvania to Lake Michigan, where his great-great-grandfather built a small cottage in the 1920s. He and his extended family would spend summer days at the tiny property; it was a place where Fourth of July weekend meant 15 people packed into the house, with Kevin sleeping in a bunk above his great-grandmother. After the cabin was sold in 2016, an event that Kevin compares to a death in the family, he wanted a similar retreat to continue making memories with his own growing family. As a kid, his favorite street in the area was a leafy one that dead-ended near the shores of Lake Michigan—and it still is. Recently, he and Anna purchased an empty parcel there with plans to build their own cabin by the lake.

So he put a call in to Bohlin, who, in addition to living in northeastern Pennsylvania, cofounded his namesake firm in the area, which is near Kevin’s hometown. Kevin was hoping for advice, never thinking the architect would take on such a modest project. That is, until Bohlin left a message saying, in Kevin’s telling, “I’d be tickled to help you think through your cottage.”

The first site visit began with a stop at Kevin’s family’s original cottage to gather a few ideas. But the goal was less about replicating its design and more so keeping with its spirit: simple, relaxed, and communal. (Kevin, Anna, Bohlin, and James’s timing was good—the original cabin was soon to be torn down.) Then, they zoomed out on the area. “I wanted to make this kind of a throwback to the cabins of yesteryear,” says Kevin. The architects looked to the surrounding vernacular, full of humble clapboard cottages and historic farmsteads, mirroring their ideas in the new cabin with corrugated metal siding and plywood walls.

The lot was notably narrow, but Kevin didn’t mind the constraint, having spent many years living in shotgun-style homes, including his family’s current primary residence, a row house in Pennsylvania. Much attention was paid to the proportion and scale of the cabin, too; rather than build a mammoth home that detracted from the natural surroundings, the design is meant to be deferential to its setting.

BCJ organized the 1,000-square-foot cabin into a compact, two-story plan with spaces that unfold one after the other. On the ground floor, the kitchen, dining area, and living room flow together without partitions, echoing the relaxed, communal spirit of the original cabin. Just off the living space, a primary suite offers privacy, while upstairs, a lofted reading nook, two bedrooms, and a shared bath create more space for family. The loft is open to the double-height living room below, making for a home where conversations carry.

During the design process, the inclusion of a structural column in the living room was subject to much debate. Certain structural schemes would have excluded it; however, Bohlin insisted it would offer a focal point upon entering an otherwise restrained interior.

The discourse didn’t end there—next on the docket was what color, if any, it should take. The team was drawn to a hue that tied into Kevin’s family farm, once home to an old tractor from Oliver Farm Equipment Company, which has been out of business since 1976. “I did a deep dive on the vintage of the tractor. There are still companies out there making these enamel paints for people who restore these tractors,” says James. “I spray painted a bunch of metal samples in my backyard and shipped them off to Kevin and Peter. We really liked the obscurity of the Oliver tractor, but the John Deere was just a better green.”

It’s this column’s green color that ties in the entry sequence: from the front door to the main living space, and then the subtle window frames. Now, the pole is a favorite of Kevin’s kids, who love to slide down it.

Flexible furniture was key to maximizing the footprint: stackable Aalto stools, a folding Carl Hansen Cuba chair, and collapsible directors chairs are a few key pieces. In the double-height living room, a built-in couch is wide enough to sleep two people, and has cushions that can be tucked underneath to turn it into a guest bed.

Since completing the house, the family has grown from one to three children, making vacations feel a little more like the ones Kevin use to take to the area as a kid—in a good way. “It’s a full house. I’m not gonna lie; it gets cramped because the kids run around,” says Kevin. “But it’s amazing how thoughtful the design is. There are these little nooks in the house, believe it or not, where everyone can have their little corner, and you find out that you don’t need a lot.”

More from Bohlin Cywinski Jackson:

A Home Designed for a Couple Aging in Place Features Walls of Windows and a 92-Foot-Long Skylight

This Economical Modular Prefab Fits Right in With the Woods

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson / @bohlincywinskijackson

Builder: Zelinski Brothers

Structural Engineer: Avanti Engineering

Interior Design: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Photographer: Corey Gaffer / @gafferphoto

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His Family Sold Off the Lake Cabin—But Its Spirit Lives On in a New 1,000-Square-Foot Retreat