New Streaming Service 'Shelter' Is Netflix for Design Lovers

Rejoice fellow outdoor lifestyle and design connoisseurs, the Netflix for cabin lovers is here. Launched in July 2020, Shelter is a streaming platform dedicated exclusively to all things architecture and design, with a touch of sustainability for good measure.

Have our prayers been answered? Well, considering the platform features shows on a handful of project we have featured in the past—including this perfect off-grid tiny cabin in Tasmania and it's quickly-becoming-iconic A-Frame neighbor in Australia—we might have to say so.

Founded by Australian actor and producer Dustin Clare and his wife, Camille, the pair launched Shelter during Covid to provide a hub for the very type of content so many began obsessively consuming during lockdown—think cabin tours, documentaries on influential builds and their designers, and more at the intersection of sustainability, architecture, design, and outdoor lifestyle.

Currently, over 200 hours of content is offered on Shelter, in the form of documentaries, TV series, and shorts, which provide an impressive array of content. Even Design magazine Dwell and other publications have partnered with the streaming service to offer their original content for viewers. [ahem, hello Shelter producers you know where to find us when you get tired of working with the old dogs :)]

Further following the Netflix model, Shelter itself has begun producing original content too, most notably the series Inspired Architecture, which features short episodes exploring the design thinking behind award-winning Australian architecture. The Clares, who produced the series, hope to take it outside of Australia in the following seasons.

While much of the content does seem to center around Oceana, and the platform does feel a bit stitched together, Shelter's ongoing plans to continue licensing films and shows to build its repertoire will no doubt help the platform further establish itself as a genuine destination for design lovers in time.

For now, we've rounded up a handful of our favorite documentaries and shows to get your bingeing started in the right direction. Scroll on below.

5 Documentaries & Shows to Stream on Shelter

• Documentary: Visual Acoustics. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, this well-loved film celebrates the life and career of acclaimed architecture photographer Julius Shulman, known for creating arguably the most iconic image of modern architecture to date, as well as being heavily influential in supporting the careers of design-giants Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry, among others.

• Documentary: Tiny. Thinking of downsizing? Tiny follows one couple’s journey of building a tiny house from scratch, exploring themes of sustainability and a new definition of home.

• Series: Design vs Build. With two episodes available now and more coming, this series interviews the architects, project managers, engineers, and other building professionals involved in making a project come to life.

• Short Show: Studio in the Woods. This 15 min short follows a team of architects, woodworkers, and students over four days spent in the English forest building a series of wooden pavilions.

• Bonus Doc: Bugs. This Danish documentary follows a team of food experts as they travel around the world to learn how people forage and cook insects to eat, exploring the notion that insects may be one answer to global food shortages.

*A monthly subscription to Shelter runs $5.99. *