25 Mile Creek

The 25 Mile Creek cabin was designed to be a multi-faceted retreat shared by two families. The brother and sister duo, along with their families, came to Hoedemaker Pfeiffer with the dream of building a cabin that captures their love for the area and history of the property, as well as a cabin their families can share for generations.

The lakefront site is rooted in duality: two families, two sets of ideas, and two opposing elements. Crafting this house provided the opportunity to converge on what a shared home would mean while balancing the exposure of the lake and vast mountains beyond as well as the refuge of the forest and hills inland.

Working with these opposing elements and the vernacular of the area, Hoedemaker Pfeiffer designed the cabin to be comprised of two simple buildings connected by a living room enclosed by glass. The glass walls can be opened and closed to change the focus of living between the lake and the forest, offering both an extension of the outdoors and protection from the elements. As the cabin comes into view at the lakefront clearing, the two gable-roofed structures emerge, and the glass walls of the living room provide a surprise view through the cabin to the lake and mountains beyond. The exterior of the cabin is quiet to blend into the surroundings; the cedar siding was stained to match the bark of the pine trees on site. Metal-clad doors and windows and a metal roof round out the simple material palette.

Inside the cabin, the bedroom and bathrooms occupy one side of the cabin while the shared living areas occupy the other. At a total of 2,200 square feet, the spaces inside the cabin are designed for efficiency to encourage visitors to spend their time outdoors while also comfortably accommodating a small or a large group with ease. The interior spaces were designed to be fresh, bright, and easy to maintain with vaulted ceilings and wood paneling to add dimension and texture. In the living room, the exterior materials continue through on the walls to reinforce the feeling of being outdoors. A wood-burning, stone fireplace is the focal point of the room along with a corner window seat with a prime view of the lake.