Durable, economical, and easy to build, the simple A-frame was once the must-have midcentury vacation home. Today, the classic retreat has been propelled back to popularity, thanks largely to photo-centric platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Read on for 20 charming A-frame homes that caught our eye.

The result: a house that looks like it’s just been dropped into a field, casual, with nary a path leading up to it and a front door that can barely be detected on the red-cedar-shingled facade.

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.

Mid-century designer Jens Risom's A-framed prefab family retreat, located on the northern portion of Block island, is bordered by a low stone wall, an aesthetic element that appears throughout the land.

A Whistler A-Frame | British Columbia, Canada Scott & Scott Architects design an outdoorsy Vancouver family’s dream cabin

A third of the house and deck cantilever out toward the stream, and the void beneath the deck provides a place for wood storage. The cabin sits just 100 feet from the water, and with the windows open you can hear the ambient rush of the stream from throughout the house.

The Alerce shingles change color when it rains, moving from red to grey. “It’s alive,” says Marambio.

Surman Weston delivers a contemporary twist on the mock-Tudor style with minimalist interiors and intricate brickwork.

An aerial shot of the property showing the house nestled in a clearing. The dense wooded surroundings inspired the couple to prioritize exterior views in the home’s design

Designed by Helsinki–based designer Robin Falck for energy company Neste’s Journey to Zero campaign, the Nolla Cabin champions zero-waste and simple living with its minimalist, eco-friendly build.

The Nolla Cabin was primarily built from Kerto LVL, a lightweight and durable Finnish plywood. It was then fastened together with screws.

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Clad in Douglas fir, the home is constructed of low maintenance materials that tie in with the natural surroundings.

The entryway to the Woodhouse Lodge.

The slate roof of the triangular 'A-House' contrasts with the Douglas fir clad rectangular body of the adjacent form. Exterior terraces wrap and connect the two building forms.

the project integrates the construction to its natural landscape.

Although plywood was a cheap and practical choice, it gives the cabin a warm and inviting feel.

Facundo is working on an update to the cabin that mirrors the doors at the back window to allow for cross-ventilation.

The first Kabina cabin cost about $13,023, and it’s currently set up as a retreat in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney.

The couple’s three children were involved in the renovation process and particularly enjoyed the demolition process.

Although there are several houses nearby, the homeowners relish the privacy and tranquility provided by the surrounding dense forest.

"Some people want a manicured garden, but I'm of a different mindset," says Patnaik. She left the grounds untamed and organic. "If we're building in the wild, I want to live in the wild."

Den's A frame house is designed with 1,000 square feet of living space.

The house is clad in Siberian larch and has a standing-seam Galvalume roof. Landscape architect Karin Ursula used native plantings to help the land recover from construction. The gravel put down in lieu of new soil will gradually fill in with plants as leaves decompose and produce a layer of soil.

A luxurious rural retreat that doesn’t skimp on comfort, JR’s Hut is an off-grid glamping destination with spectacular views of the 7,000-acre Kimo Estate in Australia.

Oversized pine shutters can be closed to protect the glass facade.

When they needed more room for visiting children and grandkids, Karen and Rick Hawkins paid homage to a once common Midwestern sight, the corn crib, by adding to their family farm.

Topped with solar panels, the gabled prefab is equipped with 12-foot-tall aluminum security gates that keep the dwelling secure when not in use.

David Ferguson of Kimo Estate took construction into his own hands in a two-person owner-builder team.

The inspiration for Heva was a wooden home in Bordeaux, France.

Lightweight corrugated zinc roof sheeting clads the exterior.

The Light House is a vacation home in Denmark designed by Søren Sarup of Danish firm Puras Architecture. It consists of a low-lying Douglas fir–clad volume topped with a slate-covered A-frame.

A Nova Scotia couple learn that although triangular homes may look simple, they can be devilishly complex.

Designed by Espen Surnevik, the PAN Treetop Cabins consist of two A-frame structures elevated into the treetops of a Norwegian forest.

"One visit over the winter, and we drove up to find four feet of snow covering the driveway and stairs down to the cabin,