This Compact Writer’s Cabin Folds Up When Not in Use

Photos by Tim Bies Photography

Houzz at a Glance
Location: False Bay, San Juan Island, Washington
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Designer: Olson Kundig Architects

Originally from Atlanta, the couple visited the San Juan Islands many times and envisioned someday making a home there. Eventually, they found a property on the shoreline of False Bay. While their main home overlooks the water, they had the writing cabin built about 100 yards away from the house in thickets of evergreen salal, sword ferns and Pacific yew. The writing studio, designed by Olson Kundig Architects, serves primarily as a workspace, but it can also accommodate guests in a pinch thanks to a Murphy-style bed.

Mild steel painted obsidian black forms much of the structure. The windows, sliding door and substantial roof overhang nods to Pierre Koenig’s iconic 1960 Stahl House in California’s Hollywood Hills. A PVC roof collects rainwater and discharges it into a single scupper for irrigation on the property.

Because the soil in the area is rocky, and pouring a traditional foundation would be cost prohibitive, the cabin was built on a steel frame resting on concrete piers. The rear section, which houses the kitchen and bathroom area, has a traditional footing system to protect the plumbing and electrical systems.

The decks on three sides can fold up to seal the cabin off when not in use.

“The system works through a series of pulleys that are calibrated to lift both sides of each deck or shutter simultaneously,” says Paul Schlachter, who served as project manager for the new build and now runs his own firm called Apollo Design Studio. “Through a series of electric winches located under the cabin, the decks are controlled by standard wall switches inside.”

The deck surface is ipe wood, which has an extremely tight, dense grain and offers excellent slip and rot resistance. Like cedar, untreated ipe wood will eventually turn gray, which Schlachter says was the intention.

Inside, the same ipe planking wraps the ceiling surface and pairs beautifully with engineered oak flooring.

A Danish wood-burning stove warms the main living space on chilly days. It also rotates so it can be enjoyed indoors or on the deck. The blackened steel floor strip functions as a noncombustible material at the base of the stove to meet code. But instead of limiting it to the stove perimeter, the design extends in a continuous ribbon through the hallway where it wraps back up the wall as a black-framed window.

The driftwood sculpture in the corner was found on the property. “Winter storms routinely push weathered and washed driftwood up onto the rocks below the house,” Schlachter says.

Wood-burning stove: RAIS; desk: custom made by contractor Dan Lowe, Lowe Construction

Custom built-ins made of rift-cut white oak hide a Murphy-style bed. The outline of the bed is visible here behind the painting.

A small kitchenette and bathroom tucked behind the wall housing the Murphy-style bed checked off all the boxes on the homeowner’s wish list — a toilet, sink and shower. The kitchenette includes a small refrigerator, sink and hot plate for making coffee.

While the shutter system seems to captivate everyone, Schlachter says he’s most proud of the efficiency of the floor plan. Getting every little program detail packed into a tiny footprint proved to be the most challenging aspect of the project.