Winter’s here, and I couldn’t be happier! It’s the season of snowy skies and chilly weather! It’s my favorite time of the year, something I look forward to as the months pass by. And just thinking about a winter getaway gets me all jazzed up! Anytime, anyone proposes a quaint getaway during Christmas break, I’m the first one packing my bags. Bundled up in coats, and sipping on hot cocoa in a little cabin in the woods, with swirls of snowflakes fluttering outside the window, is my idea of an ideal vacation. And, we’ve curated a collection of cozy, comfy, and super cute winter homes that’ll make for the perfect holiday destination this winter. Make your plans and start booking your tickets, because these spaces are where you’re going to wanna be this Christmas!
1. The Yezo
Designed for idyllic Hokkaido in Japan, the YEZO is a retreat that uses its dramatic landscape and an experimental design approach to create a sanctuary in nature. The YEZO’s overall design is a fusion of both aesthetics and algorithms, optimized for fabrication from one single mold to minimize ecological impact and reduce manufacturing cost and delivery time. It features a unique curved roof that not only creates a spacious interior but even provides a channel for the central chimney while creating a small terrace/skylight in the process. The wooden roof shell structure, clad with regional black slate, consists of sustainable GluLam (glue-laminated) timber beams suspended from a central concrete chimney.
2. The Vermont Cabin
Occupying a humble space of 750-square-foot, Kundig designed the Vermont Cabin, keeping in mind that “The client brief called for a small, straightforward family cabin in the tradition of the Vermont cabins they grew up with.” Surrounded by white pines and maples, the intimate home has been divided into three levels. The lowest level is settled comfortably within the site, and contains a garage that also doubles up as a fun game room! A single bedroom and a powder room are also included in this level. The middle story consists of the main entry, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom. Whereas, the topmost level is essentially one large living area. This upper level provides panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, such as the Green Mountains to the west, and the Worcester Range to the east.
3. Niliaitta
Studio Puisto, a sustainable interior design studio based in Finland, recently debuted the first prototype of cabins soon to be part of a larger hospitality project called Kivijärvi Resort. The resort’s first completed cabin is called Niliaitta, which refers to the traditional storage structure built at the end of a high pillar, used by the Sámi people to store food and equipment, keeping it safe from the grasp of hungry or curious wildlife. In order to immerse guests of Kivijärvi Resort in the elements of nature as safely, but also as close as possible, Studio Puisto installed a floor-to-ceiling window that stands some distance from the cabin’s deep gable roof. From Niliaitta’s front-facing window, guests enjoy the most dominant landscapes as the cabin’s location was purposefully selected to offer the most unobstructed views of Finland’s forest and nearby body of water.
4. Skigard Hytte
Mork-Ulnes Architects constructed a modern cabin in the mountains called Skigard Hytte. Made from wood, the cabin is located in Kvitfjell, Norway. Skigard Hytte consists of 45 wooden columns that are arranged in a neat grid, which are covered in ‘Skigard’. ‘Skigard’ are quarter-cut tree logs.”There was also something interesting about making a cladding out of log that was completely detached from the house – creating a log cabin skin that sits outboard of the building, where it is not the load-bearing element one is used to in conventional log construction,” said the architects.
5. Cabin in Maine
Situated in a quiet and private location, this little cabin in the woods of Maine is as peaceful as it gets. The pond is quite secluded, hence it is free of noisy motorboats and pesky tourists. The height of the floating home provides unparalleled views of the pond and forest and also helps in capturing the breeze. Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors adorn the entire home, hence creating a beautifully open space, that perfectly captures the sunlight in the morning and late afternoon! Peck wanted to create “an experience within a space—keeping us connected to nature and the feelings of this site.” The floor-to-ceiling elements create a modern aesthetic but at the same time are durable enough to withstand Maine’s extreme weather conditions.
6. The Lima Cabin
Modern, minimal, and clean, the Lima cabin boasts an A-frame structure, although it cannot be compared to the traditional A-frame cabins we are so used to. Exquisitely pleasing to the eyes, yet highly functional, the cabin features two main areas or spaces. The two pyramid-shaped structures (which almost look like mountains, as the cabin has been inspired by the surrounding mountains!) represent these two spaces, and they are connected by a corridor, creating an open and spacious holiday home, while efficiently utilizing the square footage of the space. The living room is a beautiful communal space, wherein the residents of the home can lounge about, interact and connect. The wooden kitchen counter and dining table serve as intimate meal spots, where you can share a meal with your family and friends, and nurture the shared holiday spirit.
7. Cabin Thunder Top
Gartnerfuglen Arkitekter built a wooden cabin called Cabin Thunder Top in Telemark, Norway. The cabin features a stepped roof that also doubles up as a winter ski jump and a viewpoint. The triangular building is called a “man-made peak” by the architects. “As everything put here from the outside, Cabin Thunder Top is slowly appropriated by nature,” explained Gartnerfuglen Arkitekter. “The cabin is an inhabitable beacon, a man-made peak in the rolling fells of Hardangervidda, worn down by glaciers during the ice age.”
8. Road-Haus
Road-Haus is a 250sqf tiny cabin scaled down from a larger model designed by Wheelhaus, a tiny home company committed to modular and eco-friendly design practices. Taking the best from the more spacious Wedge model, the Road-Haus fuses elegant design elements with tiny living essentials. Considered crowd favorites by the tiny home company, Wheelhaus adorned Road-Haus with the same pitched roofline and wrap-around clerestory windows found on the Wedge model. From the bottom to the top, Road-Haus residents are immersed in the glory of the woods, with timber flooring that’s mirrored on the tiny home’s ceiling.
9. Cara R
Think of this cabin as a safehouse for when you are facing harsh weather conditions. Cara R is perched in the Andes Mountains in Southern Chile giving views of the vast parklands and nature reserves. It is the ideal destination to be immersed in nature but the area is also known for its extreme climatic conditions and that is exactly what Cara R’s design aims to guard against – nothing can stand between you and a cozy night at your cabin in the woods! On the first floor, there is a woodshed and a chiflonera.” This area between the interiors and exteriors is commonly found in Chilean or Patagonian homes because it helps to regulate the extreme temperature changes that occur in that region. It features a steel frame because stell is both water and fire-resistant!
10. Cabin A24
The RCA – 03, or Cabin A24 is a prefabricated tiny cabin that keeps a unique pentagonal shape and comes fully furnished with a bathroom, kitchenette, and living space. Designing Cabin A24, the team behind DDAA hoped to achieve a distinct architectural identity without compromising the tiny home’s household efficiency, amenities, or spatial functionality. Cozy and petite by design, Cabin A24 forms two halves. One half leaves enough room for a spacious living area, complete with a bedroom and lounge space. From there, the bathroom takes up about two-thirds of the cabin’s second half, which is shared with a small kitchenette, complete with a sink and small stovetop.