25 Awesome Winter Cabins

Everyone dreams of getting away at one point, and cabins are often a perfect retreat, especially in the cold months. But what's a cabin, you ask? It's defined as "a small house or cottage, usually of simple design and construction," but it's become associated with existence in nature and often containing a wooden facade.

These 25 Awesome Winter Cabins provide great living spaces that are well-situated for their terrain. With large glass windows and clever architecture, some of these cabins may look more like your dream home than just a vacation spot.

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Architect: Mats Edlund & Henrietta Palmer

Location: Hudiksvall, Sweden.

On a former camping site, Stockholm architects have launched a project to create a resort of 22 houses in two designs. The timber cabins feature wood and glass as their main materials, retaining traditional building methods.

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Architect: AATA Associate Architects

Location: Licancheu, Navidad, Chile

Designed as a small cabin for visitors, the Guest House focuses on efficient insulation. Covered in transparent polycarbonate surfaces, its walls contain straw bales while the structure itself is constructed of wooden material.

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Architect: Balance Associates Architects

Location: Eastern Washington, USA

Creating a balance between its open and covered surfaces, the cabin minimizes disturbance to its valley surroundings and provides an effective space for enjoying both privacy and being immersed in outdoor nature.

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Architect: Balance Associates Architects

Location: Methow Valley, Washington, USA

Built on a hillside, the Wintergreen Cabin features glass-enclosed public spaces open to nature and also more reserved private areas. The house features a concrete base that includes a garage and other practical spaces.

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Architect: AATA Associate Architects

Location: Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile

Designed to serve the tourist market of Easter Island, the cabins embrace sustainability while making good use of the favorable temperatures of its setting.

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Architect: Diez + Muller Arquitectos

Location: Tumbaco, Ecuador

Completed as an extension of a weekend home, the two cabins preserve the trees of the construction site while their design attempts to be a continuation of the forested terrain.

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Architect: Saunders Architecture

Location: Fogo Island, off the coast of Canada

This white triangular cabin was created as a studio space by Norwegian architects. Located on rocky terrain, the construction involved creating an even base surface while incorporating sustainability.

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Architect: Paul Morgan Architects

Location: Southeast Australia

Located amongst trees, the Trunk House cabin is surrounded by exterior columns of tree branches designed to represent the kangaroo and sheep bones naturally found in the surrounding land.

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Architect: Tom Kundig

Location: Washington, USA

This three-story steel cabin includes terraces and a stackable design. It features large steel shutters, operated by a simple hand crank, that can enclose the cabin for safety when not in use.

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Architect: Anderson Anderson Architects

Location: Kumamoto, Japan

The B-House is a hillside cabin that is fully self-sufficient. It generates its own electric energy from sunlight and collects rainwater for reuse, while its windows have been positioned to maximize heat insulation.

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Architect: Fantastic Norway

Location: Fosen, Norway

Built of timber, this cabin is located in a coastal area in Norway and considers its traditional building cultures. Its jagged design and color scheme is meant to reflect the terrain of the rocky, sometimes snowy hills of its surroundings.

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Architect: Olson Kundig Architects

Location: San Juan Island, Washington, USA

Providing a changeable retreat, this glass cabin features three wooden slats that can be closed to encase the house, depending on how much privacy or openness is desired. It also has an adjustable fireplace that will warm in whichever direction you point it in.

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Architect: Olson Kundig Architects

Location: Idaho, USA

A cabin should always have great views, but this one presents an especially great setting for lakeside viewing, featuring a 30 x 20-foot wall of windows. Staying in this cabin should feel like being indoors and outdoors at once.

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Architect: Zeroplus Architects

Location: Swinomish Indian Reserve in Puget Sound, Washington, USA

The Sneeoosh Cabin's design both allows its residents to stay connected with nature while enjoying a safe shelter from the cold and dangers of the outdoors. While the majority of the space is enclosed in glass, the sleeping quarters are created to provide more privacy.

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Architect: TruLinea Architects

Location: Telluride mountain village, Colorado, USA

Retaining its original facade design from the '80s, the cabin went through some renovation but still represents the look and feel of a traditional wooden cabin. With its newly added modern details, the space provides comfortable living in a remote location.

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Architect: Stuart Silk Architects

Location: Washington, USA

The Lopez Island cabin not only features a more contemporary look, but also incorporates modern technology to help improve its energy efficiency and maintenance. Traditional values are also retained, in favor of a retreat with minimal disturbance of the natural surroundings.

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Architect: Vandeventer + Carlander Architects

Location: Vashon Island, Washington, USA

This one-story cabin went through a remodeling project, gaining an additional wooden "box" structure to the main floor. It includes a daylight basement and large sliding doors that allow for the interior and exterior spaces to be joined.

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Architect: EMa Arquitectos

Location: Casablanca, Chile

The wood-covered steel cabin is located on a high slope overlooking valley views. Featuring an outdoor pool, the cabin's layout is cleverly planned in order to maximize spaces and offer privacy.

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Architect: Heliotrope Architects

Location: Orcas Island, Washington, USA

Though the Doe Bay Cabin offers a relatively small living area, it features a garden roof and a wall of tall windows. Located on Orcas Island, it guarantees stunning views of the Rosario Strait and is the perfect retreat for its clients who have long been visiting the area for vacation.

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Architect: Balance Associates Architects

Location: Winthrop, Washington, USA

Elevated by a concrete base, this wooden cabin features a simple traditional design with a contemporary touch. Its positioning on the hill allows for enhanced views of the mountain slopes while preserving the original site of construction.

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Architect: Tommie Wilhelmsen

Location: Østhusvik, Norway

A cabin should be built in a place appropriate for enjoying the great outdoors, but its construction isn't restricted to only having indoor spaces. Located on an island, this one includes an outdoor terrace space that offers even greater ocean views than from inside.

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Architect: JVA Architects

Location: Nordmarka, Norway

Featuring a dark exterior facade and a light wooden interior, this cabin serves its main purpose in the winter, as a shelter for cross-country skiiers. The cabin allows light in through its north and south openings, while other surfaces remain fully covered and insulated by a thick outer wooden layer.

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Architect: Denieuwegeneratie Architecten

Location: Undisclosed

Half-covered and embedded into an artificial hill, from some views, this cabin may be invisible. Its hybrid design minimizes disturbance to its surrounding nature reserve, while the hill also helps insulate heat within the home.

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Architect: Taylor Smyth Architects

Location: Ontario, Canada

Built in a spot perfect for watching the sunset, this wood-encased glass cabin interacts with its surrounding light and terrain to truly blend in with its environment. Built as a one-bedroom extension from the main cottage, the cabin is able to camouflage itself and offer privacy for its dwellers.

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Architect: OFIS Arhitekti

Location: Stara Fuzina near Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

This three-bedroom hut features sustainable heating designs and includes a sauna on the top floor. Built in the original dimensions of a traditional Alpine hut, this modern version offers great views through its sizeable windows that also allow for sunlight to help heat the cabin during the day.

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