Hobart Lake

Lead architect, Tom Lenchek, opted for simple forms and materials that direct attention outwards, towards the cabin's natural surroundings.

The cantilevered decks

The exterior is wrapped in weathering steel that echoes the color of the soil and allows the cabin to blend into its surroundings.

The clients desired a modern, streamlined retreat to escape the city.

The fire-resistant structure is clad in corrugated Cor-Ten steel that has been left to rust for easy maintenance. Instead of fussy landscaping, the family spread seed for native grasses and wildflowers that they let fill in naturally.

Del Gaudio made the pendants in the kitchen from rayon electrical cord, ceramic sockets, and Satco Par38 bulbs. She also designed the kitchen casing, which was fabricated locally in American black walnut left over from the floor. A mix of seating—vintage Paul McCobb Planner Group and newly purchased metal Tolix chairs—are arranged around a dining table from Restoration Hardware.

A Resource Furniture wall bed folds down to create sleeping accommodations.

The living area of the studio feels bigger than its petite footprint, thanks to the high, slanted ceilings and clerestory windows.

The couple’s Murphy bed, Clei’s Penelope model, folds up into the wall.

The bedroom in North Cabin is illuminated by a large skylight above the bed and features a built-in desk and armoire.

Wardrobe closets display the exposed ply edges which create a unique outline within the millwork.

A custom desk in the primary bedroom is tucked beside a closet.

Instead of installing rooftop solar panels, Alqadi and his friend and partner in the venture, Hillary Flur, built a “solar tree” to provide energy.

Naturally rusted steel sheathes the cabins that Malek Alqadi built on a 1954 homestead outside Joshua Tree National Park. “I loved the idea of stitching the existing structure back together, reinforcing it, and giving it life again without compromising the beautiful setting it’s in,” he says.

The cabin has charcoal-colored metal siding and a punchy yellow-green front door for contrast.

"When we started out, Casey wasn’t married and wasn’t dating anyone," says architect Arthur Furman. "So the original project brief was less about bedrooms and bathrooms, and more about the character of the home. Specifically, the shape. Casey had an image in his mind of a house he had photographed early in his career in a wooded area of Maine. The house was a basic shape—as one would draw as a child—just a box with a gabled roof." The home's simple gabled shape is emphasized by the use of burnished stucco on all sides.

The backyard—complete with an outdoor dining area and fire pit— is fully enclosed, offering an idllyic oasis to rest or entertain. Additional highlights of the home include an outdoor shower, a detached room that could be used as a guest-suite, and easy beach access.

At 74 square meters (797 square feet), this variation of the Vinkelhuset line by Danish modular cabin designer Møn Huset is L-shaped in plan and hits all the right notes, boasting clean lines, a practical gabled roof, and simple, attractive detailing on the interior.