A Warm Wood Interior Gives This Home In The City The Feeling Of Being In A Rural Cabin

November 29, 2020
A modern wood cabin with large windows and custom shelving.

Architecture firm Olson Kundig, has designed a house in Seattle, Washington, for their client who wanted a home that would connect her to nature.

The exterior of the home showcases fir siding, that was reclaimed from a nearby fruit storage warehouse. The wood siding will weather naturally with minimal maintenance, while durable galvanized steel roofing and beam end caps complement the natural wood finishes.

A modern wood cabin with steel roof.
A modern wood cabin with fir wood exterior siding and glass walls.
A modern wood cabin with walls of glass.
A modern cabin with fir wood exterior siding.

City Cabin is organized around a central gathering space with two wings extending from it. One with the master suite, and the other containing the guest room and storage areas.

A modern cabin with wood shelving and 16ft high ceilings.

The heart of the home is an open living space and kitchen, both of which share a 16-foot high ceiling. A wall of full-height windows overlooks the gardens to the southeast, and clerestory windows maximize solar gain and create a sense of lightness while maintaining privacy.

A wall of full-height windows overlooks the gardens to the southeast, and clerestory windows maximize solar gain and create a sense of lightness while maintaining privacy.
A cabin with large windows that look out to the garden.

The client’s extensive Native American art collection is found throughout the home, while walls of shelving create plenty of room to display books and decor items.

A cabin with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

The home features concrete floors that are tinted with a custom red hue inspired by red cedar and ochre colors, while the walls and ceilings are made of natural, unstained plywood chosen for its durability and simplicity.

A contemporary cabin kitchen with a wood island and walls of shelving.

Both of the bedrooms include built-in shelving and drawers, and large windows that look out to the garden.

A contemporary cabin bedroom with concrete floors and built-in shelving.
A bedroom with concrete floors and wood shelving.

The home also includes a hallway with a mudroom.

A hallway with a custom-built shelving that doubles as a mudroom.
Photography by Aaron Leitz | Architect: Olson Kundig | Project Team: : Jim Olson, FAIA, Design Principal; Renee Boone, Project Manager and Project Architect | Key Consultants: Dovetail General Contractors, General Contractor; Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Civil Engineer; MCE Structural Consultants, Structural Engineer; WSP, Mechanical Engineer; Palm Room, Landscape Architect; DePelecyn Studio, Lighting Design; RDH, Envelope