This Modest Wood Cabin Outside Oslo Is a Minimalist's Dream

Nothing like a month or more of extended indoor living to really let the dream of escaping to a cabin in the woods blossom. No doubt even the most steadfast city dweller has found themselves thinking of a place far from crowds, sirens, and video conference calls. Though no two tastes are the same, this raw pine clad cabin in the wilds of Norway will do just fine as the object of our collective desires this week.

Designed by celebrated architecture firm Mork-Ulnes—based between both San Francisco and Oslo—Mylla Hytte is a modest, 940 square foot house perched atop a bluff outside the Norwegian capital. Three bedrooms, two baths, a room for bike storage and ski tuning, two sheltered outdoor living spaces, and a two-person sauna, leaves little to be desired.

With a pinwheel shape, the clever design adheres to the local regulations requiring a gable roof, creating four shed roofs radiating out in opposing directions. The unique shape allows each of the cabin’s main wings to face a distinct character of the landscape—the great room looks onto Mylla Lake, the guest room looks towards the rolling hillside, the kids’ room looks up at the sky, and the bedroom has a private view of the towering forest beyond.

Custom plywood furnishings include bed frames, bunk beds, sofa, dinging table, benches, and built-in shelving, drawing the warm, minimalist all-plywood interior together under one continuous roof canopy.

With access to skiing in the winter and hiking, biking, camping, canoeing and more in the summer—and rather epic views year round—we can’t think of a more appropriate place to log off and settle in for a while.