Lake

The exterior is clad in corrugated, galvanized metal. “We just spray it off with a water house,” says Mark.

Seattle firm Wittman Estes designed this compact cabin floating above a meadow on Whidbey Island.

A series of plywood panels separate the large common area of the cabin from the smaller private areas. They slide open to reveal the sleeping area, outfitted with custom bunk beds.

Pale-toned European larch flooring and ceilings are juxtaposed with the dark-stained walls of the cabin, lending stark contrast and drama for the interior.

The cottage is located on a site just over an hour from Gothenburg and two-and-a-half hours from Oslo, Bohuslän was the ideal location. “We immediately fell in love with the slightly hilly site and its location along a narrow dirt road with cows grazing on the other side,” says Helena. “Until then, I had never thought of building a summer house but when we got the chance, we just had to take it. Especially when my old friend Susanna said she could design a house for us.”

Before: The design and build team reused the existing structure.

Reclaimed wood covers the ceiling in the main room and bedroom. The large white light fixture was reused from the barn’s previous incarnation, and the sectional is from Interior Define.

Skigard Hytte floor plan

The interior of the house is lined in pine. Anchoring the dining area are an antique Norwegian farm table and chairs. The appliances are by Gaggenau.

A second staircase was added to take advantage of the height provided by a previously unfinished attic. The skylights bring sunshine down to both levels.

A ladder incorporated in the mezzanine bedroom leads to a spacious roof terrace.

LAMAS Architecture shored up the unsettled foundation of this 1914 Toronto home.

Perched quietly on the dunes of New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, Hut on Sleds serves as a small, sustainable beach retreat for a family of five.

One of the "Boxes for Living," featuring the ladder-accessible loft that doubles as a bedroom.

Views of Lake Colico are captured by the windows in the lower level bedrooms, where the Del Fierro’s sons sleep.