The Canadian firm Taylor Smyth Architects has implemented a project called ‘Sunset Cabin’ nestled into a slope on the southern shore of Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 2004, the award-winning design is a one-room sleeping cabin comprised of 275 square feet. It is a simple but sophisticated Canadian bunkie, evoking the “primitive hut” of branches constructed in the wilderness. The clients required a private retreat from the main cottage further up the hill that would also enhance their enjoyment of the surrounding landscape in a location previously used to watch sunsets.

The fully insulated glass cabin is encased on three sides by cedar slats. A green roof has planting of sedums and herbs to camouflage views of the cabin from the main cottage. Minimal furnishings include a bed with built-in drawers, a wall of storage cabinets and a wood-burning stove. All interior surfaces, including floor and ceiling, are fabricated of birch veneer plywood. The changes of both season and time of day continuously transform the cabin’s presence and dynamics with the landscape.

Visit the website of Taylor Smyth Architects here.