"We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography," says architectural designer Riley Pratt.

Sævik compares her house to a contemplative hideout. “It’s very quiet,” she says. “You can concentrate and let thoughts fly.” Her favorite summer pastimes include reading, painting, drawing, yoga, and “just sitting and feeling the forest,” she says.

The couple stockpiles wood under the deck.

Exploratory demolition revealed enough space in the kitchen for an Asko washer-dryer and a full-size refrigerator.

She was even able to squeeze in a compact stacked washer and a vented dryer.

A glass slider and a stackable LG washer and dryer maximize space in the laundry area, which includes a small utility closet.

This remote cabin in Sullivan County hovers above a steep slope, suspended by the trees that surround it.

When not in use as the headboard, the large redwood slab folds down to become a desk.

The concrete bench in the living area just past the kitchen is built into the sloping wall. The Pedro wire stool is by Craig Bond for Candywhistle.

Sævik designed the wood tub in the bathroom, which features an adjacent sauna. The Inxx A5 faucet is by Mora.

superrkül dubbed this project the Stealth Cabin because it's hidden in the landscape and will continue to recede in view over time. Photo by Shai Gil.

The mud room in the shipping container offers plenty of space for the family to remove shoes and store sports equipment.

Looking like a jewel box at dusk, Scott Stafne’s Canti-lever House rests easy in the middle of the Washington woods. With miles of hiking trails, lakes, and waterfalls to explore, Stafne’s property provides almost unlimited opportunity for outdoor adventures. The strong and sturdy house acts as a warm respite from the elements when the weather won’t cooperate, which is often—horizontal rain and whipping winds can be the norm.

The house rests just below the crest of a gently sloping hilltop and commands powerful views. Its transparency and small size aim to minimize its impact on the land.

The laundry is tucked away beside the kitchen. A skylight floods the small space with natural light, and cat doors provide the resident feline with easy access to the litter box kept here.

“What often happens in our relationship is I come to Funn with an idea and he makes it into something livable.” —Vincent Kartheiser

In the living area of actor Vincent Kartheiser’s Hollywood cabin, redesigned by Funn Roberts to maximize every last inch of space, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman mix with a couch and coffee table by Cisco Home from HD Buttercup. The table in the main room is from West Elm.

The charred cedar exterior gently basks in the Alaskan sun.

In the shadow of Denali mountain, amid Alaska’s meadows and icy streams, a former teacher and a four-time Iditarod winner calls upon Mayer Sattler-Smith to design a modernist cabin as expansive as the Last Frontier.

A standing-seam steel roofing panel clads a portion of the exterior, while the aluminum pipes also serve as the railing for the roof deck. The family cooks all their meals at the fire pit outside.

Kartheiser’s private courtyard includes a covered seating area and fire pit, designed by Roberts.

Nice modern cabin

Bishop is an avid record collector—Rolling Stones albums are a sought-after favorite—and he keeps his vinyl in the shelving unit ”1.1,” a reproduction of Arbel’s first completed work. The kids can often be found playing video games at the desk in the great room.

Though the retreat is clearly meant to afford the solitude writing so often requires, Kathleen reports that "it's very lively. Deer approach, birds bathe. The sun warms my desk and you can hear the rain."

The interiors are clad in white-glazed pine, a contrast to the black-stained facade. The brick fireplace is original. Near a Polder sofa by Hella Jongerius for Vitra is a coffee table of Sævik’s design. The rocking chair is vintage and came with the house.

"Custom cabinetry really made all the difference in this project," says Cheng.

The floor tile is the Zebra Terrazzo from the Cement Tile Shop.

Roberts found the Montauk black slate, which he continued in a second bath.

The second-story, basically a catwalk that threads between the large, exposed trusses, is mostly residual space used for storage.

A communal laundry area.

In the open-plan living and dining room, a dramatically sloped roofline allows for generous clerestory windows.