Corbusier and Thoreau Inspired This 400-Square-Foot Washington Retreat

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Project Details:

Location: Blakely Island, Washington

Architect: Wittman Estes / @wittman_estes

Footprint: 400 square feet

Builder: East / West Custom Builders

Structural Engineer: J Welch Engineers

Cabinetry Design: Scott Faulkner Design

Environmental Consultant: Biohabitats

Photographer: Andrew Pogue / @poguephoto

From the Architect: "Situated in San Juan Island Archipelago on the Salish Sea, this cabin is an open studio that pays tribute to the practice of building a tiny house in the woods in the tradition of Thoreau’s Walden Cabin and Le Corbusier’s 1952 Cabanon. Embracing a sense of floating, this 400-square-foot guesthouse is suspended within the forest on stilts above a sweeping terrain, with panoramic views of the Salish Sea. The compact 16-by-20-foot volume contains a small kitchen, a Murphy bed, one bath, and a loft for two bunks. Nestled between a large glacial erratic boulder and mature Douglas fir tree, the small footprint replaced a previous shack, seeking a minimal impact on the delicate ecology of a remote San Juan Island site.

"A suspended metal walkway wends through the woods and guides the arrival to the entry and opens to views of Thatcher Bay. The compact kitchen is tucked beneath the loft. At the northwest, a bathroom has a glass-to-glass corner window looking into the forest. Hardwood decking extends inside and outside for a seamless connection to nature. Large multislide doors frame the expansive water views.

"The elevated design considers the delicate rocky ecology of the steep shoreline and the difficulty of getting construction machinery to the site. Inspired by traditions of modular building, many elements of the cabin were prefabricated offsite at the contractor’s yard in Everett. Grid-ordered structural steel frames support the wood framed volume and were designed for easy transport across the sea via barge before being lifted onto its minimal point foundation.

"This secluded cabin takes advantage of the temperate Pacific Northwest seasons. In the warmer months, the sliding doors and full-height glass blur the line between interior and exterior, extending the living space to the outdoors. In the windy colder months, the residents can be indoors looking out, warmed by birch plywood and a fireplace, providing a place of refuge for family activities and gatherings. In the warmer summer months, sliding doors open and encourage one to be outdoors on the open-air terraces. The main living space and bed open to the east to welcome the morning sun.

"The simple volume is clad in western red cedar milled from nearby trees on Blakely Island and left to weather naturally. On the interiors, locally sourced cedar and fir, plaster bath walls, and translucent curtains create an ethereal palette. The space is heated by a suspended wood burning fireplace that rotates 360 degrees for use both inside and outside. The architect designed a custom movable fire cart and tools that nest into an angled steel storage nook."