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“MA03 Library House was designed to meet the requirements of a ceramicist and a lawyer in need of a home capable of holding their extensive book collection as well as providing them with spaces for work and creative activity,” say Fria Folket, the architect behind this cabin in Sweden.

“We bought the land not knowing what we could build or where. It’s off by itself and pretty isolated,” says Jeff.

The door opens directly into the main living space, where a Room & Board sofa joins a chair and ottoman from West Elm. The wood-burning stove is from Morsø.

Hood Cliff Retreat (Wittman Estes)

One of the main goals of the construction was to do as little harm as possible to the existing environment, which includes waterways that salmon depend upon. Herrin and his team created a garden roof that covers the full extent of the home to meet this objective. “This helps control storm water runoff and also replaces lost insect habitat—insects being a critical food source for juvenile salmon,” he says.

At night, the quiet drama of the shed roof's angles glows against the darkened forest.

The Nook exterior features shiplap cypress siding, a reclaimed oak deck, and an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method.