Vacation Homes
12 Cozy Cabins Tucked In Amid the Trees
Find design inspiration and a little R&R in these contemporary cabins, midcentury A-frames and other woodsy dens
There’s no better place for connecting with nature and getting away from the grind than a snug cabin surrounded by trees. But it’s almost as relaxing to peruse these photos of woodsy and stylish vacation homes uploaded to Houzz’s photo feed. Take a gander — click the photos to see additional images of each project — then share in the Comments which is your ideal forest hideaway.
A rolling library ladder provides access to twin loft spaces at either end of the cabin and to storage in between. And a bright orange wood-burning stove, which matches the door, adds a retro color burst.
2. Chalet Chic
In an alpine lake community called Soda Springs in California, this formerly neglected cabin got a stylish interior and exterior overhaul by Colossus Mfg.
In an alpine lake community called Soda Springs in California, this formerly neglected cabin got a stylish interior and exterior overhaul by Colossus Mfg.
The design team says the revamped style takes cues from traditional mountain chalets, while giving a nod to old-school summer camp kitsch.
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3. A-Plus A-Frame
Another midcentury-style cabin — this one on a hilltop surrounded by evergreens in New York’s Catskills region — got a much more glam (but still period-appropriate) upgrade.
Another midcentury-style cabin — this one on a hilltop surrounded by evergreens in New York’s Catskills region — got a much more glam (but still period-appropriate) upgrade.
AHG Interiors brightened the paneling of the 1960s A-frame with white paint; added mirrored, brass and acrylic finishes and furnishings; and popped in a wet bar and a hot tub.
The inspiration for the former, the designers say, is “your parents’ ’70s basement.”
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The inspiration for the former, the designers say, is “your parents’ ’70s basement.”
Shop for midcentury modern-style living room furniture
4. Adventure Zone
Near Deer Valley ski resort in Park City, Utah, this hardy cabin smaller than 1,000 square feet, by Architectural Squared, requires a snowmobile or skis for access in the winter, but the homeowners can drive right up the rest of the year.
Near Deer Valley ski resort in Park City, Utah, this hardy cabin smaller than 1,000 square feet, by Architectural Squared, requires a snowmobile or skis for access in the winter, but the homeowners can drive right up the rest of the year.
The owners’ enthusiasm for the outdoors is evident in the interior decor, which includes a canoe suspended from the ceiling and wall-mounted surfboards.
A claw-foot tub on the deck invites two kinds of forest bathing — soaking in water, and soaking in nature.
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A claw-foot tub on the deck invites two kinds of forest bathing — soaking in water, and soaking in nature.
Which Home Pro Should You Hire for Your Project?
5. Eco-Conscious Idyll
Designed by architects Jessica Cook and Scott McCullough and built by Cook’s firm, Eagle Pond Studio, this nearly net-zero, 20-by-54-foot home sits on a knoll surrounded by forest above Eagle Pond in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.
Designed by architects Jessica Cook and Scott McCullough and built by Cook’s firm, Eagle Pond Studio, this nearly net-zero, 20-by-54-foot home sits on a knoll surrounded by forest above Eagle Pond in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region.
The designers used hemlock timber milled from the trees on-site to frame the house, and local white pine and hemlock in the interior.
A Magnum wood-burning cookstove from Sopka provides the main source of heat for the home. The concrete floor also helps with heat: It’s wired with radiant heat tubing, and passively collects heat from the south-facing windows and radiates it back into the home at night.
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A Magnum wood-burning cookstove from Sopka provides the main source of heat for the home. The concrete floor also helps with heat: It’s wired with radiant heat tubing, and passively collects heat from the south-facing windows and radiates it back into the home at night.
Read more about this house
6. Tiny but Mighty
Built on concrete slabs in Lakeside, Montana, near Glacier National Park, these tiny vacation cabins have shou sugi ban siding — meaning it’s been preserved using a Japanese technique that involves charring it with fire — that complements their rugged setting.
Built on concrete slabs in Lakeside, Montana, near Glacier National Park, these tiny vacation cabins have shou sugi ban siding — meaning it’s been preserved using a Japanese technique that involves charring it with fire — that complements their rugged setting.
Floor-to-ceiling glass sliders and windows help to erase the boundary between the forest and the cabins’ minimalist interiors.
7. Treehouse-Style Retreat
This cabin on 2 wooded acres in Greenville, South Carolina, belongs to Ben Creasman, the owner of design-build firm Owners Choice Construction.
The 920-square-foot structure floats 20 feet off the ground on large support posts and beams, giving it a treehouse feel.
This cabin on 2 wooded acres in Greenville, South Carolina, belongs to Ben Creasman, the owner of design-build firm Owners Choice Construction.
The 920-square-foot structure floats 20 feet off the ground on large support posts and beams, giving it a treehouse feel.
A crow’s nest and hammock-like cargo net lounge area above the living room reinforce the playful attitude of this accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rental property.
Read more about this house
Read more about this house
8. Enchanted Cottage
Fronting New Hampshire’s Newfound Lake, this new three-bedroom cottage and detached garage replaced a seasonal 1929 cottage that was riddled with rot.
Fronting New Hampshire’s Newfound Lake, this new three-bedroom cottage and detached garage replaced a seasonal 1929 cottage that was riddled with rot.
Christopher P. Williams Architects and builder David Frost paid homage to the original structure inside and out, even incorporating elements of the original building and stones from the property.
The home’s “hobbit door” adds to the cabin’s enchanted feel.
The home’s “hobbit door” adds to the cabin’s enchanted feel.
9. Respite in the Rhododendrons
Designed by architect Jim Owen of DIGSdesign, this Appalachian mountain getaway in North Carolina belongs to landscape designer and Houzz contributor Jay Sifford. It’s a dogtrot house, composed of two small cabins attached by a breezeway. The structure is covered in black stained exterior-grade plywood with cedar battens and has a standing-seam metal roof.
Designed by architect Jim Owen of DIGSdesign, this Appalachian mountain getaway in North Carolina belongs to landscape designer and Houzz contributor Jay Sifford. It’s a dogtrot house, composed of two small cabins attached by a breezeway. The structure is covered in black stained exterior-grade plywood with cedar battens and has a standing-seam metal roof.
The home is set on a steep slope amidst mature native rhododendrons and surrounded by woods. The back of the house opens out to a deck that looks like it’s floating in the tree canopy.
Read more about this house and its gardens
Read more about this house and its gardens
10. Arched Escape
Set in the scenic Columbia River Gorge area in Washington state, this little rustic cabin has a roofline reminiscent of a Gothic-arch barn.
8 Laid-Back Lakeside Cabins, Cottages and Retreats
Set in the scenic Columbia River Gorge area in Washington state, this little rustic cabin has a roofline reminiscent of a Gothic-arch barn.
8 Laid-Back Lakeside Cabins, Cottages and Retreats
Inside, Copeland + Co. home stagers paired the structure’s rustic timber frame and wood-burning stove with midcentury modern-style furnishings, tribal-inspired patterns and lots of earthy textures, resulting in a “cabincore”-meets-Scandinavian vibe.
11. Set in the Sequoias
In California’s western Sonoma County, this cabin (uploaded by Seven Sundays) is as hip as they come — it even has an Airstream parked outside.
In California’s western Sonoma County, this cabin (uploaded by Seven Sundays) is as hip as they come — it even has an Airstream parked outside.
The groovy round fireplace and Scandinavian rya-style rug are straight out of the 1960s.
See more midcentury modern-style homes
See more midcentury modern-style homes
12. Sunken Hangout
This modern vacation rental cabin, uploaded by Details Design and Staging, is surrounded by 32 acres of pine forest in Ohio’s Hocking Hills.
This modern vacation rental cabin, uploaded by Details Design and Staging, is surrounded by 32 acres of pine forest in Ohio’s Hocking Hills.
The home’s footprint is smaller than 1,000 square feet, but the structure is taller than its facade suggests: It has four levels, three decks, a patio, a fire pit and a hot tub. And speaking of groovy, how about that sunken conversation pit?
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Not far from the Oregon coast, this 820-square-foot vacation cabin by Outside Architecture blends into the wooded landscape thanks to its weathered paneling.
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