Cabin class: lodges, chalets and other architecture from the hinterland
The Hinterland in the title of a new book from Gestalten is both physical and existential. The former, because the cabins, tree houses and shelters it surveys are overwhelmingly set in areas of only sparsely peopled liminality – mountains, woodland, waterfronts, gardens. These are getaways in the purest sense of the word, and therein lies the connection to the latter; representing a mindset beyond – or perhaps, before – that of 21st century living. Reconnecting to nature and eschewing materialism in favour of ascetic functionality. 'Rewilding' ourselves, to borrow a topical contemporary phrase.
The sub-title of Cabins, love-shacks and other hide-outs is snappy to the point of disingenuity. Chimerical cutesiness abounds in the tree-houses – some robust, many precariously spindly, others rendered as actual nests – but, as you'd expect in a tome from the stalwart German arts publisher, these are structures marked by carefully-considered aesthetics and keen architectural nuance.
Further, this is no simple progression of the recent proliferation in micro living and pod homes; these are fully-realised marvels rather than modular chuck-ups (even those designed to function as hiking shelters, saunas – lots of these projects are Scandinavian – or curios, rather than full-blown residences). Take Permica Architects' 'Fortress on the Frontier' in Slovenia's Julian Alps, an imposing hiking cabin grafted onto the remains of a First World War military bunker. Or Raumlaborberlin's dystopian, corrugated-steel-coated hot house in Gotheburg's industrial harbour, appearing as rusting behemoth on the outside, but coolly serene on the interior thanks to feathery slattings of light larch wood (and all the Swedes).
Other projects are more ambitious. Casa Vi is a mountain house located just outside of the town of Piateda in the Orobic Alps, 1,000m above sea level. Designed by EV+A Lab's Alfredo Vanotti, the structure was once a concrete stable owned by the family of his partner, Laura. Together, they created a home that drew on nostalgia for Laura's childhood, realised as an extensive, minimalist and light-flooded structure, with a minimum of interior space delineation and featuring built-in furniture and astonishing vistas. (Though, the architect says, it's more traditional in ethos than it looks – 'Landscape influences my design,' Vanotti states in the book, 'not the other way around.')
From there, we're introduced to Leo Qvarsebo Arkitekt's sloping tower in central Sweden's Dalarna county; the neo-rustic charms of a forested home for a photographer in Hungary, by T2.A Architects; a pair of 29 sq m cabins on the Kiwi coast by Cheshire architects; multi-build communes, tree-top villages and children's dens. The list goes on.
The builds are illustrated with spare, dramatic shots of rugged outcrops and striking oceans of snowy wilderness (the photography in the book, it must be noted, is all wonderful), but the variety of underlying philosophies – as well as the outré details found within each project – make for endlessly intriguing viewing. The geographic spread, too, is notable. Taken singularly, any one of these bolt holes would be a beguiling idiosyncrasy. Together, they're a hotbed of aspirational food-for-thought – enough to persuade any seasoned city rat to consider a simpler life in the wild.
INFORMATION
The Hinterland: Cabins, Love Shacks and Other Hide-outs, €39.90, published by Gestalten. For more information, visit the website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Kapwani Kiwanga considers value and commerce for the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2024
Kapwani Kiwanga draws on her experiences in materiality for the Canada Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Minotti presents Giampiero Tagliaferri’s Supermoon sofa at Salone Del Mobile 2024
Minotti brings its new Supermoon collection to Salone del Mobile 2024, with a unique blend of Milanese and Californian aesthetics
By Jasper Spires Published
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
MOCA is a self-sufficient mobile home offering freedom to work (and roam)
MOCA (Mobile Catalyst) is a sustainable mobile home designed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and taking remote working to a new level
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Interior sculptor’ Christophe Gevers’ oeuvre is celebrated in new book
‘Christophe Gevers’ is a sleek monograph dedicated to the Belgian's life work as an interior architect, designer, sculptor and inventor, with unseen photography by Jean-Pierre Gabriel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A nest house in the Netherlands immerses residents in nature
Buitenverblijf Nest house by i29 offers a bird-inspired forest folly for romantic woodland escapes in the Netherlands
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Is this the shape of wellness architecture to come?
Explore the future of wellness architecture through trends and case studies – from a Finnish sauna restaurant to UK cabins and a calming Canadian vet clinic
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Flick through ‘Brutal Wales’, a book celebrating concrete architecture
‘Brutal Wales’ book zooms into a selection of concrete Welsh architecture treasures through the lens of photographer Simon Phipps
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Off the Grid’ explores remote but refined homes in North America
‘Off the Grid’, Dominic Bradbury’s new book, is a richly illustrated chronicle of new residential design in far-flung locations across North America
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Câpsula, a series of tiny homes, champions 'living large with less'
Câpsula, initiated by architecture studio i29, brings together tiny homes, wellness and a design-led approach at Dutch Design Week 2023
By Ellie Stathaki Published