A Trio of Cabins Create An Island Getaway Off Coastal Maine

Author Photographer
  • Trent Bell

Cantilevered decking, bright natural materials, and 360 degree views unite this unique 890 sq ft guest residence


Published: 06-30-2020

Updated: 01-26-2022

About the author

Ellen Eberhardt
Ellen Eberhardt
Ellen is an New York City-based writer, designer, former architectural worker bee, and current reporter for Dezeen.

Always on the lookout for the perfect cabin hideaway for some much needed R & R, this week a main source of architctural inspiration comes by way of Maine-based design firm GO Logic, based in the uplands of Maine.

With a design philosophy rooted in the Passive House standard, the firm has produced numerous prefab housing models but it’s their custom residential project Little House On the Ferry that particularly piqued our interest.

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Intended for the client’s visiting friends and family, this small collection of close-knit cabins sits perched amongst the recovering woodland of a former quarry site on secluded Vinalhaven Island—a rough hour ferry ride from nearby Rockland, ME. The firm opted to deconstruct the guest quarters into three separate structures—one for dining and living, and two others for sleeping and bathing.

A system of interconnected, cantilevered decking lifts the three structures several feet above ground, keeping guests a few steps away from each cabin while providing 360 degree views of the surrounding ocean and evergreen forest.

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Imitating one another in both form and material, the small cluster of buildings serve up an elevated summer camp feel. Made of pre-cut black spruce wood panels sourced from Quebec, the walls and flooring of the cabins exude warmth, embracing their materiality and gracefully exposing their structural systems—a strategy used throughout the firm's body of work.

Outfitted with a wood-burning fireplace and minimal industrial furnishings, the interior draws attention to the surrounding wilderness with ample windows and sliding doors.

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The living/dining cabin is the ideal spot to gather and boil some freshly caught lobster before retiring to the equally serene sleeping cabins.

The perfect place to slowly emerge from hibernation.

Check out more micro cabins or spots to rent in Maine