Friday Cabins #31: Shou Sugi Ban Appreciation Week
The age old Japanese technique continues to inspired cabin designers and connoisseurs alike
Well, another week has come to a close, ya'll, so you know what time it is—that’s right, it’s Friday Cabins time. Every week we bring you a curation of impressive cabin projects from online design and outdoors publication Field Mag and deliver them piping hot to your inbox. Come and get it!
The weather has continued to be beautiful (although a spot of rain would be nice, O’ weather Gods) and some people continue to be on vacation. Summer marches on and I hope you've been able to enjoy it.
Today we're highlighting a number of cabin projects featuring or inspired by Shou Sugi Ban, the Japanese technique of fire-charring wood for preservation and protection against buggies. The method gives exterior cladding a characteristic black color, and makes cabins that much cooler-looking. So read on and pick your fave. Then share this newsletter w a friend who also has good taste ;)
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🔳 These Tiny Box Cabins Bring Community to the Tasmanian Outback
In the Tasmanian bush, this mini cabin compound creates a sense of community. Three cabins, clad in shades of gray, are each owned by a different family in a group of friends. Inspired by a minimalist movement in the area in the 1950s, the cabins area are also, for the most part, simple cubes. United by a similar design language, and interconnected walkways, the three structures vary in orientation and views, each positioned to face unique geographical features.
Brass, grey stone, and wood paneling create lush interiors that also reflect the minimalist style of their exteriors, and wood-fired fireplaces feature front and center in each cabin.
🔺Agricultural Tourism Meets Rural China With Geometric Cabins
Designed by architecture firm ZJJZ, the Woodhouse Hotel in rural China countryside is part of a government initiative to alleviate poverty in remote areas by introducing agricultural tourism. The hotel features ten striking, angular cabins placed on concrete stilts. Their elevated positioning minimized impact on the natural topography of the sloped site, and on the ground itself—while giving hotel guests some impressive views.
Each cabin was clad in carbonized timber, or charred wood, for a look that blends in with the natural hues of the environment, but also gives the lodging an unquestionable futuristic style.
🌳 An Off-Grid Micro Cabin in Upstate New York Inspired by Thoreau
Located in the Catskill Mountains, just about two hours outside of New York City, the Edifice Cabin by Marc Thrope is inspired by the famed work of Henry David Thoreau. Embodying the transcendentalist ethos of the author, the cabins acts as a secluded escape from the corruption of society and institution.
Encouraging mysticism and exploration, one must walk completely around the cabin's simple cubed exterior to find the entrance and blackened cedar cladding gives the cabin even more sculptural appeal. The interior is as uncomplicated as the exterior, with one large room divided into four zones for sleeping, cooking, eating, and living, while a covered porch provides space to chill.
☀️ This Striking Black Cabin in Patagonia Offers Refuge Across All Seasons
Designed by and for architect Felipe Lagos, this cabin on the edge of the Chilean Andes provides a seasonal escape for the Lagos' family. Painted black and created using a series of modular units set side by side, the modest cabin is austere but welcoming.
Two covered, open-air areas sit on either side of the central living space, which help to regulate temperatures inside the cabins. On one end, a spacious garage holds wood for fires in colder weather, while a deck on the other side provides space to hang outside in warmer months. A steeply pitched roof creates room for a second-story bedroom while downstairs, a simple kitchen, and living area overlook the surrounding evergreens.
TGIF! Enjoy your weekend!
-ee