“I always aim to think about the site first, followed by how built space fits into that,” Joanna Shaw says. A principal at Winkelman Architecture, she took that approach with her clients’ 35-plus-acre site, thoroughly exploring its gently sloped shores along Midcoast Maine with landscape architect Kenneth Studtmann of Richardson & Associates. “We carried gear in L.L. Bean tote bags—a camping stove, tools, drafting supplies—plus a folding table and chairs and stored it all in an old, shingled fishing hut on the property,” says Shaw. “There was so much to experience.”

Months of observation led to the building of the grounds’ first structure about five years ago, the Far Cabin, a small refuge on the western edge of the site. The clients, a young family of four, spent a few summers here as the rest of the summer camp–style retreat unfolded. “The cabin was a case study for testing ideas to pull into other buildings [on the property],” Shaw says. “We loved the materials and stuck with them.”

In the years to follow, a collection of five buildings connected by trails and boardwalks went up between the trees. “We didn’t want [the home] to impact the site too much; instead, we made compact, precise insertions,” the architect explains. “Think of it as breaking a house into a handful of puzzle pieces and scattering those pieces around.”

Entry Tower: Mudroom + Guest Bedrooms

A road brings visitors deep into the site, through a little woodland orchard, to a tiny carport. Here, they follow a walking path to a two-and-a-half story building with a Cor-Ten steel façade that marks the arrival point. The ground floor of this tower-like building is a mudroom where everyone can drop their belongings, while the second floor and the two layers of lofts above are for guests, of which there are often many.

Gathering Pavilion: Kitchen, Dining, Living

A covered boardwalk serves as an outdoor hallway by connecting the mudroom to the home’s central gathering place: A low-slung rectangular building containing the dining area, kitchen, and living room. “The roof of the boardwalk protects you from the rain and snow, but you still get a walk in the woods,” Shaw says. “You hear the birds and feel the breeze.”

While the architectural forms of the cabins vary, the interiors are all peaceful and bright, with polished concrete floors, plaster walls, and pine ceilings with hemlock beams. “The interiors don’t compete with the outdoors,” Shaw says. “The shifting sunlight and views—woods, water, wildlife—are the elements that give the spaces life.”

Oriented east, the dining area, kitchen, and living room capture morning light. “This seemed appropriate for morning rituals and the first coming together of the day,” Shaw says. The act of congregating for meals takes cues from the daily rhythms of summer camp, an idea that was important to the family. “Camp has places to come together and others to retreat,” the architect says. “The ebb and flow of stepping apart and coming together defined how we thought about the buildings.”

Near Cabin: Grandparents’ Sleeping Quarters

For the older generation, Shaw designed a one-room studio, dubbed the Near Cabin, which is accessible by car via a secondary road branching off the main road. The little cabin has a partially sheltered deck that looks toward the gathering pavilion and entry tower, as well as to the water. Built-in storage and seating line the interiors.

Primary Bedroom: Family’s Sleeping Quarters

The building with the primary bedroom and a loft for the kids connects to the gathering spaces with a boardwalk, this time uncovered. It’s sited in a natural opening in the forest with nice light and a view of the islands from the gently sloping, rocky coast.

“The interiors don’t compete with the outdoors. The shifting sunlight and views—woods, water, wildlife—are the elements that give the spaces life.”
—Joanna Shaw, architect

The parents sleep in the main cathedral-ceilinged space with a wall of glass facing the ocean, while the kids climb the ladder just inside the door to a sleeping loft. The family of four share the serene bath, which feels like a greenhouse in the forest, complete with a glass door to an outdoor shower.

Wellness Outposts: Sento + Dojo

Japanese-inspired wellness rituals were essential for the family. Shaw designed a sento, a Japanese-style bathing house, at the end of an existing shore trail. On the deck, a sunken hot tub and cold plunge pool have stunning water views. Inside is a shower and wood-fired sauna. “They are very much about ritual,” Shaw says. “They love to build and tend fires.”

Others make their way from the guest quarters or gathering pavilion on a path that snakes through the woods, passing the the Dojo, a judo studio, along the way. “The Dojo and Sento are both elevated, so there’s wandering and climbing involved,” Shaw says. “Getting to them is a bit of a commitment; there’s a pilgrimage effect.”

The Tide Turns for a Trio of Prefab Pod Houses in the San Juan Islands

Project Credits:

Architecture & Interiors: Winkelman Architecture / @winkarchitecture (@joanna.architect)

Builder: Hewn / @hewnbuilders and High Seas Builders / @highseasbuilders

Landscape Architecture: Richardson & Associates / @richardsonassociates_me

Structural Engineer: Albert Putnam Associates / @albertputnamassociates

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Just Getting to the Front Door of This Family’s Midcoast Maine Retreat Is an Adventure