A new home rises around a 1915 log cabin on the shores of Lake Wenatchee

Modern black-clad cabin exterior with vertical metal siding, viewed through tall pine trees

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Cabin in a Cabin, designed by Syndicate Smith, is set along the forest shore of Lake Wenatchee, Washington, and takes an unusual approach to renovation. When the architects came to the site, a log cabin from 1915 was already standing there, weathered but intact. Instead of tearing it down, they left it exactly where it was and built a new house around it. The old cabin, enclosed now within a glass-lined shell, has become the living room, the place where the family actually gathers day to day.

Walk through the finished home and the original structure reads almost like something on display, its hand-hewn logs and stone chimney framed by the surrounding glass and clean modern lines. The house’s circulation was planned around this preserved core, so every path through the shared and private spaces brings you back past it. Old timber and new architecture sit side by side without either one trying to dominate the other, and that contrast gives the house much of its character.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT Syndicate Smith
CONTRACTOR Timberwood Construction
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER BTL Engineering

Close-up of black metal-clad cabin exterior with windows revealing interior log walls and stone chimney

The rest of the design follows the same restraint. A simple, natural material palette and thoughtful, efficient planning suit both the clients’ minimalist taste and the home’s location near Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. What comes through most, though, is the choice at the center of it all: keeping the old cabin standing, worn edges and all, rather than replacing it. This is a modern retreat that honors memory and craft, keeping what matters intact while still making room for what comes next.

Modern Cabin Exterior Design on Lake Wenatchee

Angled exterior view of gray metal-clad cabin with wood-clad entry porch and orange front door

A Warm Wood-Paneled Entryway

Wood-paneled entryway with orange door frame, potted fern, wood bench, and window overlooking the lake

What We Love About This Home

We love how this design treats a 110-year-old log cabin as something worth building a whole new home around, not something to demolish and replace. Encasing the original logs and stone chimney in glass, rather than tucking them out of sight, makes them a cherished focal point of the house. Most of all, we love the contrast itself, rugged century-old timber standing at the heart of a home that is otherwise sleek, modern, and new.

Tell Us: If you could save one part of an old home instead of tearing it down, what would it be? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Check out a couple of other fabulous home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of Washington: See this stunning alpine cabin nestled in the forests of Mt. Rainier, Washington and This off-grid Washington cabin has peaceful views over the Cascade Mountains.

Close-up of stacked log ends showing chinking and construction detail

Hallway view past log cabin corner and stone chimney toward large black-framed windows

Close-up of log cabin corner notching next to a stone chimney column

Preserved 1915 Log Cabin Details

Detail of chinked log wall opening into a living room with a wooden barn-style door

Living room with log cabin walls, exposed beams, stone fireplace, and barn-door style window shutter

Living Room Built Around the Original Log Cabin

Living room fireplace nook framed by log walls, stone surround, and exposed ceiling beams

Wide view of living room with log cabin core, stone fireplace, and leather sofa

Living room with tan leather sofa against log cabin wall, lake visible through doorway

Living room framed by log cabin walls and exposed log ceiling beams, opening to kitchen and dining area

Open living and dining area built around an original log cabin core, with lake views through glass doors

Cozy Sunroom and Reading Nook

Sunroom with wraparound windows, rocking chairs, and a log cabin wall with built-in fireplace

Cozy reading nook with two rocking chairs against a log cabin wall and built-in bookshelf

Interior hallway showing exposed log cabin corner joinery beside built-in wood shelving

Modern Kitchen and Dining Room with Lake Views

Kitchen and dining space with wood cabinetry, pendant lights, and blue striped rug

Dining area with wooden table and bar stools beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake

Kitchen with wood cabinetry, pendant lighting, and dining table with woven chairs

View through wood beams toward a bright kitchen with island seating and lake-facing windows

Mudroom nook with coat hooks, wood cubby shelving, and dining table with woven chairs

Bedroom Design with Custom Wood Built-Ins

Bedroom with wood built-in wardrobes, floral bedding, and blue runner rug

Dusk exterior view of modern cabin addition with glowing windows beside dark wood-clad second story

Twilight exterior of modern cabin with glowing windows, dark wood siding, and surrounding pine forest

Dusk view of lakefront cabin from a dock, with warm interior lighting reflecting on the water

Before the Renovation: The Original Log Cabin

Original weathered log cabin exterior in snow, with covered entry porch and stone chimney

Before-and-after: original weathered cabin exterior in snow (left) beside its log core exposed mid-renovation (right)

PHOTOGRAPHER Will Austin