10 Summer Cabins from Members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory

If “cabin” for you conjures small and humble, then admittedly we use the term broadly. Here, ten homes that speak the cabin vernacular; some in east coast style, some west, but all summery, nature-based, and beautiful.

For more, visit the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory. 

Above: This cabin by San Francisco-based Nick Noyes Architecture sits on a 60-foot-wide ocean bluff in the Sonoma County coastal community of Sea Ranch. A copper-clad chimney connects two wings shielding an inner courtyard from the coastal winds.

Above: A small modernist cottage on Shelter Island by NYC-based Deborah Berke Partners; see more at Architect Visit: Deborah Berke and Suzanne Shaker in Shelter Island.

Above: This East Hampton residence by NYC-based Billinkoff Architecture is composed of a string of small buildings connected by an indoor corridor, maximizing opportunities for indoor/outdoor living.

Above: Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects designed this Whidbey Island, Washington, summer home for a retired couple who wanted ample space to entertain guests but wanted to keep the overall scale of their home small. Heliotrope maximized the oceanfront space and eliminated sprawl in the back. Photos by Julie Marquart. 

Above: This beach cottage by Rohleder Borges Architecture with interiors by Bainbridge Island, Washington-based Michelle Burgess Design welcomes guests with a covered waterfront sitting porch.

Above: This cabin by Seattle-based FINNE Architects looks right at home in the Pacific Northwest but is actually on the shores of Lake Superior. The main living area sports a simple shed roof and timber ceiling and a 40-foot-long glass wall facing the lake. Photograph by Eric Hausman.  

Above: A vacation home by Bethesda, Maryland-based McInturff Architects was designed for a multigenerational family with strong connections to the site. Residents enter the home via a boardwalk that crosses the meadow and extends through the house and beyond toward the lake.

Above: The owners of this Orcas Island, Washington, cabin wanted all the comforts of home without any excess to distract from the land and view. Heliotrope designed a minimal space with glass walls, providing views onto the beach in front and meadow behind.

Above: This 1920s creekside cabin in Calistoga, California, was remodeled by Sonoma-based Amy A. Alper, Architect. The original layout of the weekend home occluded views of the seasonal creek, so Alper designed a double-height living room addition to wrap around the exterior. Photograph by Eric Rorer. 

Above: A summer ranch by San Antonio-based Lake | Flato Architects sprawls over several buildings, meant to recall the summer camps of the owner’s youth. Above, a lakeside pavilion with a screened sleeping porch, outdoor dining area, and dock.  Photograph by Chris Cooper.

For a cabin on a smaller (but equally modern) scale, see Architect Visit: Pine Forest Cabin by Balance Associates.