Take in-person tours of homes featured in Dwell. Sign up for Open House!
SubscribeSign In
Collection by Kelsey Keith

Up in the Woods: 8 Forest Homes

Eight riffs on the cozy cabin typology that make the most of a forest setting with modern architecture that connects to the outdoors.

View 8 Photos
Adding 290 square feet to this already small (just 566 square feet) black A-frame in Brecht, Belgium, was all the local building ordinances allowed, but the architects at dmvA found that a single wing extended out to the side gave resident Rini van Beek all the storage and living space that she needs.
Adding 290 square feet to this already small (just 566 square feet) black A-frame in Brecht, Belgium, was all the local building ordinances allowed, but the architects at dmvA found that a single wing extended out to the side gave resident Rini van Beek all the storage and living space that she needs.
The Fish Camp acts as the couple’s forest getaway, just a quarter mile from their main house.
The Fish Camp acts as the couple’s forest getaway, just a quarter mile from their main house.
“I wanted more of a skeletal look for this house, and less of a chunky, log-cabin look,” says architect Harry Panton of his Texas bunkhouse. He added stark steel bracing across the entire length of the porch’s roof structure and thinks of the getaway as "a bridge into the woods."
“I wanted more of a skeletal look for this house, and less of a chunky, log-cabin look,” says architect Harry Panton of his Texas bunkhouse. He added stark steel bracing across the entire length of the porch’s roof structure and thinks of the getaway as "a bridge into the woods."
The bank of windows on the rear facade faces a lush hillside. "The prototypical country house wants to look over and out on the land," says Rappe. "This house looks at the slope upward. It makes for a different sense of space." Rappe was very careful to ensure that the house would not be visible from the existing properties and that neighboring houses would not be visible from within his design. "We wanted to do a home that was attractive to our clients but not too obtrusive to neighbors," he adds. "We wanted to be good modernists."
The bank of windows on the rear facade faces a lush hillside. "The prototypical country house wants to look over and out on the land," says Rappe. "This house looks at the slope upward. It makes for a different sense of space." Rappe was very careful to ensure that the house would not be visible from the existing properties and that neighboring houses would not be visible from within his design. "We wanted to do a home that was attractive to our clients but not too obtrusive to neighbors," he adds. "We wanted to be good modernists."
A gently winding set of exposed aggregate concrete pads leads to the Wabi House’s front door. Mariscal sought to “hide the house behind a dense forest front yard.” As the crape myrtles grow in, they will further filter the home’s facade.
A gently winding set of exposed aggregate concrete pads leads to the Wabi House’s front door. Mariscal sought to “hide the house behind a dense forest front yard.” As the crape myrtles grow in, they will further filter the home’s facade.
The upper floor is like an attic space with a minimum height of only 5.9 feet. From here, the residents can feel the natural forest.
The upper floor is like an attic space with a minimum height of only 5.9 feet. From here, the residents can feel the natural forest.
Nave recalls potential buyers remarking on how most homes for sale in Ocean Springs are either historic homes—often damaged by hurricanes—or are standard tract models that lack character. Rather than a straight line of cookie-cutter homes, Nave's Heron Park is set amidst woods and three and a half acres of open park.
Nave recalls potential buyers remarking on how most homes for sale in Ocean Springs are either historic homes—often damaged by hurricanes—or are standard tract models that lack character. Rather than a straight line of cookie-cutter homes, Nave's Heron Park is set amidst woods and three and a half acres of open park.