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All Photos/exterior/building type : cabin/building type : tiny home

Exterior Cabin Tiny Home Design Photos and Ideas

In Texas, where everything is bigger, Ryan McLaughlin is placing his bets on something small. Specifically, a simple 160-square-foot cabin that he hopes city-dwellers will book to get away, find some focus, and reconnect with nature. The result is a laidback, pitched-roof cabin in which every inch of space is thoughtfully allotted so that guests can spend the maximum amount of time outdoors.
Black-framed windows and doors tie in with the black metal roof and dark chimney.
The tongue-and-groove wood boards are divided at the half-height by a contrasting, black steel plate.
A simple material palette of wood, steel, and glass clads the exterior of each house.
The simple structures are a modern play on the traditional cabin with wood-clad exteriors and gabled roofs.
These design-forward home builders on the West Coast are crafting tiny dwellings that are big on style and sustainability.
At under 100 square feet, the 8' x 12' Site Shack includes just the essentials: a wood-burning stove, a desk, and storage.
Tiny homes have officially become a thing—and these woodsy getaways will make you want to downsize ASAP.
Affordable, adorable, and in many cases, transportable, these tiny homes made a big impact on our readers this year.
These pretty, mini abodes and their inspiring owners make tiny home living more tempting than ever.
In response to the Bay Area’s housing crisis and a recent relaxation in ADU rules, Emerging Objects has crafted an experimental housing prototype: the Cabin of Curiosities. True to its name, the unusual structure is clad in over 4,500 3D-printed ceramic tiles and features a beautiful front facade full of succulents. The structure is envisioned as a livable or rentable ADU whose one-room gabled structure is weathertight, structurally sound, and designed for longevity.
This 180-square-foot cabin offers 360-degree views of the Hudson Valley.
Panorama Lodge has the tagline “Where the sky is,” which perfectly suits this 248-square-foot cabin in Iceland.
“We’d go to the salvage yard every weekend and painstakingly go through hundreds of windows, see one that might work, write down the measurements, run out to Jeff’s truck, and put it in the SketchUp model,” says Molly. The chair is by Christophe Pillet for Emu.
Perched above a pond on 14 acres in Champaign, Illinois, this hut was designed for enjoying tea and meditation. Dominating the 97-square-foot structure is a butterfly roof, which channels rainwater to a central spout to be directed to the pond. Adding to the zen experience are water reflections that are projected onto the soffit throughout the day.
Tucked away in California’s Sierra National Forest, this remote and rentable vacation home has a cozy interior that embraces outdoor views.
"You really get the sense that you are just floating up there in a different world," remarks Chudleigh.
The cabin's curved zinc shell exudes a rugged, industrial look.
The 4TREEHOUSE features a futuristic illuminated facade that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie.
The motto for the Panorama Glass Lodge states "Where the sky is," which works as a fitting descriptor for the design of this cozy 248-square-foot vacation cabin. Thanks to the glass panels that wrap around a strategically placed bed, the bright dancing lights of the aurora can be viewed from the most comfortable spot.
A north-facing veranda includes an outdoor seating area adjacent to a stone fire pit.
Fabshack is designed to be adaptive to many different site configurations. In this instance, it nestles into a rock outcropping on the architect’s property northwest of Sydney.
Architect Jesse Garlick’s rural Washington vacation home references its rugged surroundings. The steel cladding has developed a patina similar to the ochre-red color of bedrock found in the area.
FLEXSE measures in at 328 square feet, with an oval footprint that maximizes floorspace, according to the designers.
To optimize versatility, “the structure can be positioned on different foundations—concrete slab, metal piers, etc., which allows for placing it in the most remote areas, even on water,” says the firm.
Kitty Mrache stands in front of the Mushroom Dome Cabin, which continues to hold the title as Airbnb's most popular rental, as confirmed in Airbnb's press release celebrating the company's milestone for half a billion guest arrivals.
As a modern interpretation of the classic Finnish grill house, FLEXSE has a distinct slope-roofed silhouette and tightly spaced, narrow vertical wood paneling on the exterior.
Much was done so as not to disrupt the natural rock formations and surrounding forest when siting and building the cabins.
"We avoided complex or exaggerated designs and selected three basic geometric forms," say the architects. Extensive site surveys enabled them to choose the best placement for the cabins on the hillside, and the best shape for each spot.
"Unlike other rural areas, the village of Tuanjie has little traditional architecture to hold onto," says the firm. "Instead, the striking landscapes and pollution-free farmlands are the village’s greatest assets."
Witzling and Underwood stepping out of the truck cabin.
The octagon cabin that they call home.
Hexagonal and pentagonal panels come together to form this cabin’s oblong envelope. The unique architectural skin mimics the rock formations that surround it.
Based in New York City, Cocoon9 takes a unique approach to prefab homes, offering a line of tiny homes with high-quality construction and finishes, smart technology, energy efficiencies, and versatile spaces that are ready for the modern market.
The home's modular design is composed of an outer shell and an interior core unit that contains essential living functions, such as a bed, bathroom, and a small kitchenette.
The 301-square-foot cabin is situated on 99 acres on Bruny Island, an island off the coast of Tasmania. For the exterior, the architects have chosen materials that "comply with the Bushfire Attack Level of 19," they explain, including bushfire resistant wood and zincalume metal. The cabin collects its own rainwater—storage tanks are underground for an uncluttered look—and the roof sports solar panels.
Italian prefab company LEAPfactory built this alpine shelter off-site and had it flown in via helicopter. Cantilevered off the edge of a mountain, the structure features a living room, a dine-in kitchen, bunk beds, storage closets, and an integrated computer to keep mountaineers and climbers up-to-date on the weather conditions.
Located at 9,459 feet in elevation and run by the Swiss Alpine Club, the Monte Rosa Hut has been a popular destination at the Gorner Glacier since 2009. Designed by Bearth & Deplazes Architekten and dubbed the “rock crystal” because of its striking, ultra-modern design, the innovative structure is also virtually self-sufficient.
Designed by Giovanni Pesamosca Architetto, this shelter in the Italian Alps fits nine beds within its triangular A-frame structure. Situated along the Ceria-Merlone trail at an altitude of 8,303 meters, the shelter is a memorial to Luca Vuerich, a well-known mountain guide who was killed by an avalanche while climbing an iced waterfall in the mountains near Tarvisio.
Skylodge Adventure Suites are luxury dwellings affixed to the mountainside in Peru's Sacred Valley, approximately nine miles north of Cusco. Visitors interested in staying at Skylodge must climb a quarter of a mile of protected trails and fly through the sky on zip lines.
The Gouter Refuge is located at 12,582 feet in elevation (about 3,280 feet below the summit of Mont Blanc) along the Gouter route. The four-story, rounded structure juts out over a 4,921-foot drop, and it's the last stop before the final climb to the summit of Mont Blanc. Commissioned by the French Alpine Club and designed by Swiss architect Hervé Dessimoz, the wooden structure is clad in stainless steel and took five years to design and three years to build.
Designed by OFIS Arhitekti, the Kanin Winter Cabin is a compact wooden volume with three platforms extending out over the valley. A large, glazed panoramic window provides breathtaking views of the surrounding Kanin Mountains.
Honomobo's HO4+ model is created out of four 40-foot shipping containers for a home that is not double wide but rather quadruple wide. In the 1,224 square feet of the home, owners can choose between a two-bedroom or three-bedroom option.
Designed by AKT II, Harvard GSD Students, and OFIS Architects in 2015, this bivouac in Slovenia's Skuta, the third-highest peak in the Kamnik Alps, was informed by traditional alpine structures and the challenge of building for extreme mountain weather conditions.
Italian architects Roberto Dini and Stefano Girodo designed this tiny bivouac structure in the Italian Alps to help encourage exploration of the remote location. Perched on the side of a mountain at an altitude of 10,794 feet, the structure was commissioned by the family of Luca Pasqualetti, a mountaineer who tragically passed away in the Alps. The installation was an exercise in well-planned logistics: The architects collaborated with the Italian prefab company LEAPfactory to assemble the unit in an off-site workshop, and the prefab pieces were lifted into place via helicopter and installed in a single day.
The smallest DublDom model, the DD 26, is a compact, 280-square-foot studio with a cozy bathroom with heated floors.
The Hammerfest Cabin is perched high atop a rocky slope.
The small cabin's cross-laminated timber (CLT) shell, composed of 72 unique wooden panels, is designed to withstand severe arctic storms and heavy wind conditions.
While perched at the peak of the mountain, adventurous travelers are rewarded with unparalleled views of the region's breathtaking natural scenery.
“We are delighted to see that our ambition to create this innovative sanctuary for adventurers has been realized,” says James Dodson of SPINN Architects. “We hope that the cabin will continue to be enjoyed and will encourage more people to visit the stunning location in the future.”
The Hammerfest Cabin is the first of several concept cabins in an innovative series. The second cabin, planned for late 2019, will be built on Tyven—a mountain on the other side of Hammerfest.
The overall construction cost of the Hammerfest Cabin was about €100,000, including many hours of volunteer work.
The cabin's faceted, geometric shell is specifically designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. The structure underwent rigorous wind and snow simulations before any construction on the mountain began.
The unique geometric design was the result of both aesthetic and functional considerations. The bold, eye-catching cabin has already become an attraction in of itself among travelers in the region.
Organic pentagonal and hexagonal panels, varying in size, come together to form the cabin's exterior envelope.
Over time, Kebony develops a silver-grey natural patina with exposure to sun and moisture. The metallic sheen is similar in appearance to the natural rock formations which surround the cabin.
The exterior cladding is made of Kebony, a sustainable treated wood product. The company uses heat and natural chemicals to give softwoods, such as pine, enhanced strength and durability. The timber product is sustainably sourced and nearly maintenance-free—a huge benefit in an environment where weathering and wear can be drastic.
Fitting in seamlessly with the fabric of the natural landscape, the cabin makes a modest impact in scale, while providing a functional benefit to travelers in the region.
The new, semi-custom PreMade mobile units can be used in a variety of applications.
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