pnw

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.

This dreamy, glass bedroom by the lake was created as an early prototype for the prefabricated greenhouse/she kits known as the Kekkilä Green Sheds.

“The liberal use of wood roots the structure in the landscape and provides the owners with an experience strongly connected with location,” Herrin says. The exterior’s Western red cedar shingle siding has a semi-transparent stain, half Fieldstone and half Burnt Hickory from Cabot.

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.

“The layout and openings allow ample flow to the exterior, and paths and decks have been developed to ‘flatten’ the sloping site enough to create generous outdoor gathering areas,” Herrin says. “These areas take into account sunlight at different times of day as well as protection from prevailing wind,” he adds. One-by-six-foot ipe planks comprise the decking, and hemlock end grain by the Oregon Lumber Company was installed indoors.

“There had been two or three primitive cabins on the property in the past, which resulted in a clearing that we utilized for the site,” Joseph Herrin says. “This allowed us to avoid any further tree removal for construction, and provided an opportunity to begin to restore that portion of the property with native landscaping.”

Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere by Zach Klein. Photo by Cabin Porn

Taking inspiration from Arlberg Valley, Austria to classic Nordic materials, the Troll Hus certainly adds a European touch to the California landscape. “The inspiring concept is that of a treehouse that, as if suspended between treetops, seamlessly and ingeniously blends with its surroundings.” Casper says.

The exterior timber cladding is coated with black tar, a traditional Norwegian treatment. The finish serves a variety of purposes: solar heat gain, water resistance, and insect repellant.

Resident Nadja van Praag enjoys the view from the deck that connects the trio of structures. The idea for the deconstructed plan was inspired in part by Alvar Aalto sketches of a “peeled apart” summer cabin, says architectural designer Riley Pratt, in which interconnected volumes surround a central courtyard.

The large expanses of glass frame views that were perfectly planned. The seating areas are furnished with Scandia lounge chairs that were designed by Hans Brattrud in the 1950s and are now being produced by Fjordfiesta.

Overlooking the Hudson River, Allan Shope’s nearly 3,000-square-foot sustainable home features handmade furniture and an undulating floor, all crafted from the site’s felled black walnut trees.

An extension of Treehotel’s mission of bringing modern design to a serene natural environment, the 7th Room is a cabin lofted among the treetops that blurs the distinction between indoors and outdoors. Designed by the renowned firm Snøhetta, the structure hovers 10 meters above the ground with a black-and-white print of the canopy covering the bottom façade, creating a trompe l'oeil effect. The two bedrooms, bathroom, lounge area, and netted terrace are arranged across two slightly different levels, accommodating up to five guests. Barring a fear of heights, you can choose to lay your sleeping bag on the double-layered net that connects the two bedrooms and enjoy a night under the stars.

The 7th Room is a remarkable accommodation at Sweden’s Tree Hotel that blends into its natural surroundings with a stark black facade. Snøhetta designed the structure, which features an expansive, black-and-white mural of the tree canopy stretched across its base. You can sleep in the beautiful cabin—or if you are brave, under the stars in a giant lofted hammock slung between the two bedrooms.