That image of a small cabin with a lovely garden, a patio and a lake just a few meters away is so well imprinted in our brains we can practically see it clear as day. It’s an image that many artists have been inspired by over the years and which a lot of people dream of when picturing their perfect summer retreat. For some this has become reality and it’s those projects that we’re going to share with you today.
This beautiful summer house is located on the Baltic Sea Island in Finland. It was designed and built by studio Pluspuu and it has the perfect orientation for capturing and framing the gorgeous views around it. It’s not a big structure, measuring only 114 square meters across and that works out in its favor, giving it a really cozy and charming look. Large windows and white walls help the interior look bright and airy while the exterior of the cabin is dark and modest.
This house in Canada is not a waterfront cabin…it’s actually built on water. The floating cabin was designed and built by MOS Architects and is located on Lake Huron. The remote site posed a series of constrains and presented the team with a set of unique challenges. The solution was to transport all the materials on the shore, to construct the house on the frozen lake and to then anchor it in its final position. In the response to the lake’s fluctuating water levels, the architects built the house stop a series of steel pontoons.
A few years ago studio Lund+Slaatto Architects built this wonderful waterfront cabin in Norway. It’s a very small structure with only 60 square meters of living space inside and it has a very interesting design. The roof has a unique shape inspired by the coastal surroundings and frames the house giving it a very inviting look. Cedar boards partially cover up the windows and filter the sunlight and they also give the structure a sheltered look from the outside. The interior is small, bright and airy, with a very cozy attic space for sleeping.
Although modest in size, this modern waterfront cabin from Kreuzau, Germany looks and feels very open and airy. That’s due to the glass facade which wraps around the corner and creates a seamless connection between the living areas and the outside world. The panoramic views are an important part of the cabin’s overall design and were crucial for determining the perfect orientation and position of the whole structure. This beautiful retreat was designed by studio LHVH Architekten and was completed in 2010.
Sometimes the best views are available from the most inaccessible areas. That was definitely the case here in Puerto Montt, Chile. The terrain around the lake is quite extreme, making it almost impossible to build anything and yet the team at Apio Arquitectos found a way to do it. They designed this lovely waterfront cabin on a high slope edge surrounded by lots of trees and several volcanos. The site is only accessible by boat which made the project even more challenging. Nevertheless, the results are amazing.
The Manshausen Island in the Steigen Archipelago located in Norway is a very beautiful and serene location, so beautiful in fact that studio Stinessen Arkitektur built this wonderful resort to celebrate that. The island is positioned between the mountains and the sea and that gives it an opportunity to offer some of the most beautiful views in the country. The resort is made up of several individual waterfront cabins positioned throughout the island, with various orientations and entire glazed sections designed to take full advantage of the gorgeous views.
The most beautiful waterfront houses are the ones that manage to blend into their surroundings and to harmoniously coexist with the unique landscape around them. Each design has its own way of doing that. This place, for example, was designed by studio Stuart Silk Architects and looks like a very breezy retreat. Situated on Lopez Island in Washington, this vacation home is surrounded by lots of native vegetation and shows respect for its surroundings. In addition, it’s been built with natural materials such as native fit and cedar which helps to further emphasize the strong connection between the building and the landscape surrounding it.
There’s a gorgeous place in the Canadian Rockies where you can rent a waterfront cabin and enjoy all the magnificent landscape and the stunning views that you see here. This dreamy place is in Yoho National Park and is called Lake O’Hara Lodge. The cabins are nestled among the huge trees, each offering a stunning view of the lake and its clear turquoise water as well as the mountains towering in the background.
The driving force behind this beautiful lake house in Brazil was a desire to enjoy the magnificent scenery and to wake up to the gorgeous view of the lake. Studio Cadi Arquitetura made this dream a reality and this is the end result. The bungalow you see here takes advantage of the topography and the landscape and its design has been optimized for maximum comfort and privacy for both the owners and their guests.
If you’re thinking of taking some time off and spending it away from the crazy cities and all the noise, there’s a gorgeous little place in Slovenia that seems like the perfect destination. This modest wooden cabin on the shore of Lake Bled is surrounded by wonderful views and is a very serene and quiet retreat. There’s 42 square meters of space inside and a beautiful porch from where you can admire the magnificent surroundings. Underneath the pitched roof there’s a cozy sleeping area in the attic and the space downstairs houses all the common areas. Check it out on airbnb.
