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1210 Exterior Cabin Design Photos And Ideas

Amid the current crisis, it’s natural to long for an escape—and the severe, otherworldly beauty of Joshua Tree in Southern California may have more of a pull than ever. Whether you’re looking to book a long-term stay or bookmarking places in anticipation of future travel, these Airbnbs offer up Southwestern vibes in a sprawling, desert landscape. Read on for our top picks—from the architectural wonder that is Acido Dorado to Instagram-famous digs and hidden gems.
Pictured is an Avrame Duo 100 built in Southern Estonia. The Avrame EU kits come with painted exterior pine cladding as the default option, while the US kits come with fiber cement cladding. Customers also have the freedom to source a different exterior finish.
Constructed with sustainably sourced lumber and large, double-pane windows, Studio Shed’s all-season Signature Series units are popularly used as backyard offices.
"We made the space as flexible as possible to allow for numerous potential uses in all four seasons," says architect Tom Kundig. During the summer months, the property is especially lively as the residents take advantage of their waterfront location.
The large wood deck features an outdoor shower that helps to provide an indoor/outdoor living experience.
The Cobb Haus, a wood-sided, 700-square-foot cabin in Cobb, California, features a large wood deck surrounded by towering trees.
Nestled among towering fir trees and magnificent dogwoods in Cobb, California—just an hour north of Napa Valley—is the 700-square-foot cabin Hope Mendes recreated as an idyllic family escape. "We’ve always had a dream of owning and renovating a cabin in the woods," Hope says, "a place [where] we could take our kids when we need to get away from the hustle and bustle of our work lives."
Sited in a small forest clearing near the Kattegat seashore in Denmark, Vibo Tværveh is a contemporary take on traditional Danish cabin and barn architecture. The tube-shaped structure is cladded in pine and topped with rolled steel plates.
Both ÖÖD Iceland houses have a hot tub at the front overlooking the spectacular scenery. “This makes the experience even more surreal,” says CEO Andreas Tiik.
The glass front half of the cabin blurs boundaries between interior and exterior and completely immerses guests in the dramatic surroundings.
The cabins overlook the Hekla volcano, one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. It is part of a 25-mile-long volcanic ridge, and during the Middle Ages it was referred to by Europeans as the "Gateway to Hell.”
The two cabins are named Freya and Alva, and feature the runes for “F” and “A” on the exterior timber wall. Signs from Nordic mythology are also found on the back of the houses. “The viking elements and the runes help the cabins fit into Icelandic history,” says CEO Andreas Tiik.
The harsh local climate—including strong winds and acid rain caused by the volcanic landscape—was a particular challenge. The cabin features a copper roof, which is one of the few materials that can cope with acid rain.
Two cabins sit in the vast, empty landscape overlooking the Hekla volcano, around three hours’ drive from Reykjavík. The front part of each cabin—for sleeping—is almost entirely glass, while the rear—where the living, kitchen and bathroom spaces are located—is clad in timber for privacy.
ÖÖD offers a range of “mirror houses”—tiny prefab cabins that are often used as guest houses, countryside getaways, and Airbnb accommodations. So far they’ve built projects in 12 different countries, including Estonia, Finland, and Norway. The ÖÖD Iceland home is a bespoke design, based on the clients’ wishes and strict local building requirements. These impacted everything from the dwelling’s structural properties and energy efficiency to the pitched roof.
While the cabin was built for year-round use, its location in the village of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François in Québec, Canada, makes for a cozy winter retreat while skiing at nearby slopes.
Similar to the interior's contrasting color scheme, lighter wood paneling contrasts against black wood cladding to emphasize the home's graphic shapes.
Seemingly carved out of the sloping roofline, the terrace is clad in contrasting birch plywood.
To the left, the home's main entrance is nestled underneath the sloping roof. Views of the river from a large terrace reference the expansive perspective from a ship's upper deck.
Cabin A by Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes is perched on the mountainside overlooking the Saint Lawrence River in Québec, Canada. The "A" in the name references the nautical alphabet of the International Code of Signals (ICS), while the home's angular form was derived from the maritime Alfa signal flag and the shape of a ship's sail facing the wind.
Oasis Tiny House, clad in teal-painted plywood and a metal roof that's pitched in the front and curved in the rear, was designed and built by Ellie and Dan Madsen of Paradise Tiny Homes in Keaau, Hawaii.
Just a short walk away from two of Norway’s largest hospitals in Oslo resides a tranquil forest featuring the trickling Sognsvann Creek. It’s in this lush oasis that Norwegian architectural and design firm Snøhetta has built the Outdoor Care Retreat, associated with the Friluftssykehuset Foundation. The project allows nature to provide a healing respite for patients who’ve been kept in isolation. For that purpose, the interiors have been left relatively bare, in stark contrast to the crowded, tall hospital buildings they’re associated with.
L'Abri reinterprets the legendary A-frame to create a secluded shelter just north of Ottawa, Canada.
Architect Eric Logan took minimalism to the max when he rebuilt his family cabin on a Wyoming mountainside.
A metal roof is adorned in moss that was found on the property.
The exterior of the cabin is clad in hand-split cedar shakes that were salvaged from another structure on the property.
The walls flare out at 30-degree angles, which creates more space for counters and seating inside the cabin.
The expansive glazing allows the occupants to appreciate not just the views, but shifting light and shadow play throughout the day.
The region’s famous West Cornwall Covered Bridge is one of the many vernacular inspirations for the house’s pitched-roof form.
The triangulated architecture fits into the rugged Appalachian landscape.
The cabin has a sleek silhouette and an A-frame roof.
The cabins can be constructed with minimal impact on the surrounding land, as builders can transport materials by foot and using 4x4s.
ZeroCabins are constructed from a simple palette of wood and metal.
The cabins can be customized for different locations.
The two-story cabin runs solely off of solar power and rainwater.
The ski resort of Thredbo came of age during the late '50s and '60s. Situated in New South Wales’ Snowy Mountains, it was developed by the Lend Lease Corporation from 1957 onwards and is now one of the region’s most popular alpine resorts, with over a dozen lifts and more than fifty runs. Harry Seidler—a keen skier himself—was asked to design a ski lodge by Dick Dusseldorp, the head of Lend Lease at the time. Sitting on a stone-walled base, the rest of the timber-framed house cantilevers outwards by degrees as the house reaches upwards. The ground floor is devoted to an entrance, stairwell, and utility spaces, while the upper levels hold the bedrooms and living spaces. Seidler’s ski lodge references many ideas commonly seen in traditional mountain chalets but gives them a distinctly modern twist.
Gather Greene's luxury campsite includes 17 cabins that are available to rent for individual stays during the off-season.
The cabin was designed in 1973 by Charles O. Matcham Jr., a local Tahoe architect.
At night, with the interior lights in use, the mirrored glass becomes transparent, exposing the interior to the outside.
The mirrored box disappears into the hillside, reflecting the dense foliage.
The surrounding landscape was subtly modified to create a path to the bathroom, and to hide the columns on which the structure sits.
Windows wrap around the sides of the cabins to maximize views.
The timber structures are made from durable Douglas Fir posts and beams.
The sloped metal roofs were designed to capture rain, which is used in the cabins.
Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on this 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.
An outdoor shower lets guests fully connect with nature.
High on the desert, the cabin's greatest draw is its environs.
Like the Hawkeye House geodesic dome, the cabin is fully off the grid, powered by a small 12-volt system.
The cabin is accessed via a walking trail on the north side of the site.
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Zoom out for a look at the modern exterior. From your dream house, to cozy cabins, to loft-like apartments, to repurposed shipping containers, these stellar projects promise something for everyone. Explore a variety of building types with metal roofs, wood siding, gables, and everything in between.