On a roll with another fresh project today. An adverse design from what I’ve written about recently, the Architect’s Cabin is slightly bigger in scale and is the perfect getaway for designers of all kinds.

The former bunkhouse built in the 1950’s at Longbranch, Washington, has been revamped into a timber, escape cabin by Olson Kundig Architects. Consumed within a scenic display of greenery and flooded with an abundance of natural light, this is the most suitable of places to unwind at, allow yourself to become one with nature and let it inspire you.

Jim Olson bought the cabin back in 1959 with the purpose of making it into a private retreat for himself. Its recent renovation has brought it back to life, emerging proudly through the tall fir trees and being ultimately caught up with the current style generation. The cabin has since had extensions, material replacements with local supplies and a general remodelling to bring it further up to date.

The building is cladded wholly in timber, reflecting and embracing its surroundings by being exposed inside-out. One of the first formations the cabin had was the three divided pavilions of which were later connected by Kundig and Olson through a decking system that allowed easy access from one section to the next. These were originally allocated for three different uses; living and kitchen space, the bedroom, and the bathroom. Since then the cabin has almost doubled in size with additions to a secondary kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom with its own excluded patio.

Although secluded within this ancient forest, the cabin appears to always be rising, as the cleverly laid out plywood façade is put together in elongated vertical strips, whilst columns and beams of timber and steel run both vertically and horizontally throughout the space, creating a notion of expansion to the building.

The cabin has been purposefully intertwined with the woodland to show its relationship with the location, an outcome of pure architectural respect. In contrast, a softness to the rustic fabrication of the cabin has been applied through the simple, soft finish and hush-toned furniture which respond to the modernised transformation.

This cabin has so much structural character and historical personality, it will leave every design enthusiast astounded for hours on end.

Photos © Yellowtrace and Olson Kundig

Photography courtesy of Kevin Scottand Benjamin Benschneider