Stunning cabin a ‘shelter of extremes’
This unique home strikes a balance with decks that double as shutters
False Bay Writer’s Cabin is so cute and compact, you’ll want to pack it up and carry it away. Measuring just 500 square feet, the little home is wide open to the outside world with its floorto-ceiling windows.
But its shutter-decks on three sides — that expand the cabin’s livable space another 600 square feet — can quickly close up over the 10-foot-tall windows and sliding doors.
False Bay Writer’s Cabin, on Washington state’s San Juan Islands, serves as a private writer’s retreat and guest cabin. The single room has a living area at the front and Murphy bed with a bathroom and kitchenette at the back. The fireplace is located in a centre column, its opening designed to rotate 180 degrees when the shutter-decks are lowered.
It took five and a half years to design and build, and was completed in 2010.
Architect Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig in Seattle, Wash., answers a few questions about False Bay Writer’s Cabin.
What was the inspiration for the home?
The owners asked for a space that felt connected to its island setting — the mild climate, scenic views and proximity to wildlife. At the same time, they needed a structure that could be easily secured when not in use. It’s intended to be a shelter of extremes, open or closed. In order to feel cold, you have to feel hot, in order to feel safe, you have to feel at risk. Contrast is the true measure of a complete experience.
Explain your concept of contrast.
Many of my projects demonstrate contrast — the intertwining of public and private, inside and outside, enclosed versus exposed. Sometimes, there’s even an element of risk, or daring, which is desired on the client’s part and intentional on my part. As you move through a building, you might move from enclosed and protected, to being exposed, and then back again, both physically and metaphorically. One of my favourite books is In Praise of Shadows by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, who says that in order to see light, you have to see shadows.
What were your design challenges?
One challenge was creating a space that felt connected to nature but could also be easily secured when the owners were away. The solution was in the form of a “twofer”: the decks double as shutters. When open, the shutters function as decks that expand the outdoor living space. When closed, the shutters secure the cabin. They’re powered by hydraulic winches and lifted with a system of wire rope, pivoting sheaves and lead blocks.
Is this a model for future, small-space living?
Five hundred square feet is probably on the small side, but for a single person, that could work. If you look at major cities across the globe, people live in 500-square-foot apartments in New York quite easily, and even smaller in Tokyo. In order to meet certain budgets, we want to build smaller to put more of the financial investment into the finer fit and finish.