In the coastal town of Herfell, Norway, about an hour and a half's drive south from Oslo, architects Reiulf Ramstad designed a "micro cluster" of three tiny holiday cabins for a family that likes to vacation together while still maintaining privacy.

Photography via Reiulf Ramstad.

Above: The three separate cabins are built around a central outdoor space where several generations of family members can congregate. The clients are a couple with two grown sons (both of whom were expecting babies).

Above: The compound also includes a small wood shed. The peaked timber structures, clad in untreated wood sourced locally, have windows that face a bucolic view of rolling, forested land.

Above: The cluster includes two separate bedroom cabins as well as a communal dining and living space. Inside a small cabin, a sleeping loft creates additional living space.

Above: "Each of the buildings is defined as a clarified geometric volume, organized around the outdoor area that binds them together as one unit," the architects say.

Above: The cabins, sited at the base of a stony hillside, are in an isolated spot where the natural surroundings are the nearest neighbors.

For more of our favorite Norwegian architects' outbuildings, see:

• A Norwegian "Love Shack"
• A Tiny Open-Air Theater in Norway
• Norwegian Wood: Garden Sheds with Retractable Roofs

More Stories from Gardenista

Madrid-based architect Camino Alonso compares the design of her tiny prefab house to a Monopoly game piece. Meant for two inhabitants, its 290 square feet are so cleverly laid out that there's plenty of storage. Really.

If you have a spot to put it—and if you live within driving distance of the Madrid factory—you can buy your own tiny house. Prices start at 21,900 € (or about $26,000 US).

The secret to making a tiny space feel airy? High ceilings. With a steep roof line, the design of this prefab house departs deliberately from the cargo-container look. After we spotted this tiny house via Architizer, we had to take a look around:

Photography via Ábaton Architects. 

Above: Architect Camino Alonso based her tiny prefab design on the universally recognized silhouette of the "house" piece in Monopoly. "It doesn’t belong to any certain culture, but anybody would understand it as a house," she told Architizer.

Above: It takes one day to assemble the award-winning house (the 2014 recipient of Architizer's A+ Awards for Living Small and Single Family House). The prefab will be delivered via flatbed truck to a site six to eight weeks after an order is placed. 

Above: The facade has gray cement boards over a timber frame, to blend harmoniously with both natural and urban surroundings. In contrast, interior panels are white-washed Spanish fir, and the frames of the large window and door are black steel. 

Above: The pitched roof increases the ceiling height to 11.5 feet. "We studied the proportions to make sure that the sensation when you were sitting in the sitting room was a sensation of being in a house," says Alonso.  

Above: On a side wall, a center window swings outward to open.

Above: The house, which sleeps two, features stealth storage including built-in shelves and cabinets, and is available in a variety of floor plans that include a bath, kitchen, and bedroom. 

Above: For more information on the home's specs, including options for solar panels and water tanks, see Ábaton.

Would you like to live small? Some of our favorite cabins and cottages are tiny. For instance:

• A Tuscan Cliffside Aerie
• Rehab Diary: From Garage to Tiny Cottage in LA on a Budget
• An Island Cabin, Sauna Included

More Stories from Gardenista

Dark colors create glamorous garden backdrops (as illustrated by our recent posts on black fences, concrete steps, and raised flower beds). The latest proof is a tiny studio on the outskirts of Amsterdam, clad in 2,000 shingles stained black.

Located in a backyard in Bussum, 18 miles from Amsterdam, the studio recalls historic barns and sheds of the Dutch countryside. And yet, in its geometry, glass windows, and cantilevered roof, it is undeniably modern. And clever. Amsterdam-based architect Serge Schoemaker put every inch to use, with the modern shed serving as office, accommodation for overnight guests, and bicycle storage. Read on to see the floorplan for the 323-square-foot shed.

Photography via Serge Schoemaker.

Above: Two thousand black-stained cedar shingles envelop the building and extend to the roof, to provide a quiet and dramatic backdrop for the backyard's lawn and trees. A black Series 7 Chair from Arne Jacobsen ($627 from Design Within Reach) punctuates an all-birch interior, mirroring the exterior palette.  

Above: The 2,000 shingles were cut, sanded, and stained by hand.

Above: Faced with the design challenge of a narrow and long garden, the architects devised an elongated trapezoid footprint, and rotated the structure, so the longest side is at the edge of the lot.  

Above: A desk overlooks a stretch of lawn that leads to the main house. The interiors furnishings include a built-in bench (which doubles as a cot), a floating desk, and concealed storage, roomy enough for four bikes. 

Above: The smooth glass and irregular surface of the structure's shingles make an interesting study of contrasts.

Above: A view of a second entrance, in back, with full-height windows. Meticulous measurements were required to install the full-length glass panes, which do not meet at a perpendicular angle.

Above: A blueprint of the interior shows bicycle storage and office space.

Above: The lot, from a bird's perspective, shows the garden studio in relationship to the main house.  

Want instant glamor in the garden? Black is the answer:

• Black Beauties: 10 Film Noir Flowers for a Glamorous Garden
• Black Magic: Architects' 8 Top Paint Picks
• Steal This Look: A Black and White Deck, Herb Garden Included

More Stories from Gardenista

Belgian architect Bruno Erpicum transformed a small stone outbuilding, creating a glass-walled, one-bedroom bed and breakfast in the Belgian countryside. Maison Roly rents for $170 a night (also available is an adjacent six-bedroom farmhouse.) For more rental details, see Airbnb.

Erpicum updated the outbuilding by adding steel sheets to the existing structure to create a mezzanine floor. He extended the steel sheets to the outdoors, to fabricate a glass-enclosed living room pavilion with sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. Go to Atelier d'Architecture Bruno & Partners for more details.

Photography by Jean-Luc Laloux.

Above: Erpicum preserved the rustic character of the original stone cottage.

Above: The steel-and-glass room seems to hover in the snow, affording almost-panoramic views.

Above: The former outbuilding now operates as a bed and breakfast.

Above: The setting is bucolic in all seasons.

Above: In warmer months, the terrace is a sunny spot to sit.

Above: The glass walls intentionally blur the distinction between indoors and out.

For more garden design ideas from Belgium, see:

• A Minimalist Greenhouse in the Belgian Woods
• Steal This Look: The Spirit of Provence in a Walled Belgian Garden
• 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Belgium
• Architect Visit: Atelier d'Architecture Bruno Erpicum & Partners

More Stories from Gardenista

A tiny 191-square-foot cabin with one room and an outdoor shower is Seattle-based architect Tom Kundig's ode to the wild woods of the Pacific Northwest.

On a site previously occupied by another cabin, Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects designed a tiny rustic retreat with a facade sheathed in metal to stand up to the weather. Indoors is another story: the walls are wrapped in cedar panels.

Photography by Tim Bies for Olson Kundig Architects.

Above: Designed to look like an intimate, protected retreat against a wilderness backdrop, the cabin has a wood-burning stove indoors (and a built-in spot to stack logs on the porch).

Above: An unfinished steel panel slides manually over the cabin windows, securing the building when the owners are away.

Above: The original lettering on the weathered steel panel is a memento from its former life.

Above: Cedar panels cover the floor and ceiling of the cabin. 

Above: Living in one room: a tiny kitchen, a wood-burning stove, and an exposed toilet.

Above: A propane tank provides hot water for the outdoor shower and simple wood benches double as deck furniture.

Above: See more Tiny Rustic Cabins in our Gardenista Photo Gallery.

For more of our favorite tiny hideaways, see:

• A Cabin Hideaway in Central London
• Olle Lundberg's Scavenged and Salvaged Cabin
• The Ultimate Creekside Cabin, Northern California Edition 
• Steal This Look: Island Cabin Kitchen

More Stories from Gardenista

Can you fit an entire weekend into 150 square feet? Helsinki-based firm Verstas Architects figured out a way.

Verstas designed a modern interpretation of a traditional Scandinavian getaway hut, sited on an island about 3 kilometers from the city center in Helsinki, Finland. The tiny cabin includes a kitchen, living room, and a sleeping loft. Feels like going to camp, in the best possible way:

Photography via Verstas Architects.

Above: Located on the island of Lauttasaari, the summer hut can be reached by car via a causeway or bridge. The island is heavily forested and feels distant from the city.

Above: Front stoop, foraged.

Above: Windows replace solid walls wherever possible to bring the surrounding forest indoors.

Above: Two burners, and a view.

Above: Sofas can be turned into beds to sleep three; a fourth bed is in the sleeping loft.

For more of Scandinavian style cottages and cabins, see:

• A Black and White Orangery, Scandi-Style
• A Norwegian "Love Shack"
• A Tiny Open Air Theater in Norway

More Stories from Gardenista

At first glance, we thought that this meticulously detailed and carefully crafted building standing alone on a hill in the landscape might be a bijoux guesthouse or even a small chapel. Imagine our surprise when we discovered it to be nothing more than a prosaic utility shed—and a pre-fabricated one at that.

With a passion for quality craftsmanship, Kansas City-based design/build firm Hufft Projects conceived The Shed to store maintenance equipment for the property of clients for whom Hufft had previously designed a house. To save construction time while ensuring a high level of quality and precision, the firm decided to build the shed from a series of prefabricated elements. Hufft designed a system of modular frames, wall panels and roof trusses to be built by the company's studio. The galvanized steel frames were welded in Hufft's shop and transported to the site where they were bolted together.

Wrapped with a white oak rain-screen with translucent walls at either end, this is no ordinary utility shed. In fact, we’re wondering, “Could this be the world’s most beautiful pre-fabricated utility shed?”

Photography by Mike Sinclair. 

Above: The Shed sits on a repurposed cul-de-sac sited to the west of the house on a winding entry drive in Springfield, MO. 

Above: The Shed is composed of a system of modular frames, wall panels, and roof trusses. Frosted polycarbonate sheets (Polygal) on a steel frame on both ends of the building bring in natural daylight.

Above: In the front, large operable doors with a built-in steel mechanism span the whole width of the structure allowing room for large scale machinery.

Above: Hufft Projects also designed and built a custom workbench for the Shed.

Above: Linear tubes of fluorescent lighting are seamlessly integrated into the structure.

Above: The view isn't half bad either.

Above: "With natural materials and simple construction methods, The Shed doesn't draw attention to itself but appears to be almost a sculptural element in the landscape," the architects say. 

Above: At night, the strong rhythm of the structure is visible through the frosted polycarbonate sheets. 

Above: On the exterior, the white oak for the rain-screen was taken from trees on the property. The facade is varied and richly textured because the wood was allowed to weather and gray over time.

Above: The galvanized steel elements were delivered to the site pre-welded.

Above: The pre-welded galvanized steel elements were bolted on site. 

Considering building a beautiful utility shed? See Utility Barn as Architectural Moment for more inspiration. Or forget utility because actually, most of us just want to live in a shed. Off the Grid: A Shed for Living will help to keep that fantasy going. 

More Stories from Gardenista

When it comes to Airstream trailers, we're like a flock of seagulls: the shinier, the better. Dreaming of your own polished aluminum quarters? Here are 10 classic midcentury examples that have been inventively restored and put to use as hotel rooms, guest houses, home offices, and in a few cases travel vehicles.

Above: Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey converted an Airstream into extra living space at the edge of his kitchen garden in Malibu. For more, see Before & After: Patrick Dempsey's Malibu Garden, Airstream Included.

Above: A 1952 model renovated by a yacht interior designer functions as a hotel room at The Hotel Daniel in Vienna.

Above: One of many restored Airstreams seen on Vintage Seekers via Design Sponge.

Above: Landscape architect Andreas Stavropoulos transformed a 1959 Airstream trailer into a fully functioning office. Stravropoulos—pictured here—parks the trailer behind a Berkeley, CA, co-op; first seen on Sunset Magazine.

Above: The accommodations at Atlantic Byron Bay resort in Australia include this fully equipped Airstream imported from America.

Above: In Albany, California, just north of Berkeley, is Flowerland nursery with a trailer coffee shop.

Above: Vancouver's Le Marché St. George café and grocery crew often picnic and camp out of their 1969 Airstream Land Yacht.

Above: A room at Liz Lambert's El Cosmico hotel in Marfa, Texas; photograph by Brian Rose.

Above: A 1955 Spartan aluminum trailer renovated by interior designer Jane Hallworth in Los Angeles.

Above: A 1965 Airstream Safari recast by Area 63 Productions and interior designer Caroline Brandes for rent on her property in Big Sur, California.

Above: Texan firm Baldridge Architects converted the interior of a disused 1970s Airstream trailer into a green room for artists performing at Stubbs Barbecue and Waller Creek Amphitheater in downtown Austin.

Above: Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory member Christopher C. Deam designed the diminutive Airstream Bambi, an updated version of the classic.

Above: At Hotel Fabriken Furillen on the Swedish island of Gotland, Wi-Fi-free cabins and Airstream trailers surround the perimeter of the main hotel.

Ever thought of living in a box? See more of our favorites at:

• A Retro '60s Camper, Outdoor Bathroom Included.
• The Ultimate Guesthouse, in a Shipping Container.
• 10 Houses Made from Shipping Containers.

More Stories from Gardenista

After decamping from London for the country, designer-maker Rupert McKelvie established Out of the Valley, his Devon, England, workshop devoted to building sustainable, off-the-grid, "efficient yet aesthetic" cabins. His model design on the banks of the River Teign happens to be available for rent by the night.

Photography via Out of the Valley.

Above: McKelvie's little cabin in the woods is solar-powered and perfectly sized for two. It has a shou sugi ban exterior—read about the Japanese technique in Torched Lumber—and a black corrugated roof. 

Trained as a classical wood boat builder, 31-year-old McKelvie went on to study 3D design and sustainability at Falmouth University and then worked in London as a product and furniture designer. He moved to Devon to start his own practice with a focus on off-the-grid living.

Above: The oak deck is furnished with Net Chairs by Mark Product of Cornwall and a McKelvie burned-wood table inspired by a Kaspar Hamacher design: "After seeing them, I wanted to have a go at making one."

Above: The deck has a canvas shade stitched by a sailmaker. The cabin has a wood stove and solar-powered lighting.

Above: A king-sized bed is tucked into an alcove off the open living space. The kitchen comes complete with cooker and gas hob. "For the next cabin, I'd like to incorporate gray water recycling and not use any gas," says McKelvie.

Above: All of the furniture and built-ins are McKelvie's own designs in ash and oak, which he and his small crew fabricate. "I wanted to use a minimal material and color palette, three at most," says McKelvie. "Less is so much more when it comes to the architecture of small spaces; each material allows the next to have room to breath." The conical wood hanging lights are by Secto Design of Finland.

Above: The wood print over the banquette is made from an ash tree on the property felled in a storm. It's by McKelvie's friend illustrator Bea Forshall.

Above: A sliding door off the kitchen opens to the compact bathroom. The glass-and-concrete Leimu table lamp is by London-based designer Magnus Pettersen for Iittala.

Above: The bathroom is detailed with Carrara marble tiles and has a brass monsoon shower head (plus a compost toilet).

Above: The sink is kitted out with reconditioned old brass taps. (If you're looking to source your own old-fashioned hot-and-cold spouts, see Objects Lessons: The British Cloakroom Basin Tap.)

Above: McKelvie is about to launch Out of the Valley's first furniture collection, which will include cabin-inspired sinks with surface-mounted copper pipes and vintage taps.

Above: The cabin overlooks a former farm field that slopes down to the river, where guest are can fly fish and take skinny dips. Bluebells and foxgloves bloom around the property in early summer, and McElvie reports seeing wagtails, wood warblers, herons, and kingfishers near the water.

Above: The field is surrounded by National Trust woodland.

Above: Star gazing from the deck is the main night-time activity. 

The Out of the Valley cabin rents for £130 ($193) to £160 ($237.63) per night depending on the season. It's located on the northern edge of Dartmoor in Devon's Teign Valley. Two castles—Drogo and Bovey—are nearby, as is the Devon coast.

Explore more cabins in the woods in our Outbuildings of the Week posts, including a Tree Cocoon.

For more examples of shou-sugi-ban, see:

• Before and After: A Charred Wood Cottage, on a $45K Budget.
• Hardscaping 101: Charred Wood Siding.
• Architect Visit: A Teahouse, Charred and Blackened (on Purpose).
• Outbuilding of the Week: A Styliish Swedish Outhouse.

More Stories from Gardenista

London-based architects Feilden Fowles designed a combination workshop and garage that is meant to disappear into the hillside at the base of a property in Conkwell near Bath (about a 2.5-hour drive west of London). It feels a little like visiting the Bat Cave:

Photography via Feilden Fowles.

Above: "This scheme is buried into the hillside, allowing the landscape to wrap over the building, hiding it from above," the architects say. Visible on the hillside (Upper L) is a boulder-shaped studio building.

Above: The timber sided building and adjacent retaining wall have undulating shapes to mimic the lines of the land.

Above: The garage has a pair of hinged accordion doors.

Above: A view of the garage when it was under construction.

Above: A pair of side doors leads to the workshop space tucked into the hill

Above: Twin skylights fill the space to fill with stripes of sunlight.

Above: The view from above.

• For more of our favorite English outbuildings, see:
• A Backyard Writer's Shed in London.
• A Romantic Cabin Hideaway...in the Backyard.
• A Garden Workshop by Rodic Davidson Architects.

More Stories from Gardenista

For a bookworm client, Paris-based architect Antonin Ziegler built a freestanding library annex to a country house in Senneville-sur-Fécamp on the northern coast of France.

Sited on a cliff above the sea about two and a half hours from Paris, the views are spectacular. To take advantage of them, the architect replaced three of the library's walls with enormous windows to erase the separation between outdoors and in. On the library's fourth wall? Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, of course:

Photography via Antonin Ziegler.

Above: Concealed in the base of the new 650-square-foot library is a garage. The library cube is adjacent to an old stone country house. The dark bulk of the new building "creates a relationship that tends to make the existing house disappear," the architect says.

Above: Connected to the existing house by a glazed passageway, the new library is open on three sides—designed to look like a book that is open to the landscape.

Above: A staircase from the kitchen in the main house leads to the library.

Above: Ceiling pendants and strip lighting illuminate the plywood-clad interior.

Above: The timber framing runs like ribs up the walls and across the ceiling.

Above: Indoor and outdoor walls are clad in plywood; the exterior siding was blackened with pine tar to create a contrast to the stone walls of the existing house.

Above: Windows frame views of a nearby village, meadows, and a green expanse of rough grassy lawn.

Above: Pale plywood was left untreated on the interior walls and turns a warm golden color in the afternoon sun.

Above: The staircase from the main house rises from the floor in the library.

Above: "Inside, piles of books are stacked in every corner and recess. The rhythm of the day is marked by the turning of pages and punctuated by the comings and goings of the house cats," says the architect.

For more of our favorite book-lined outbuildings, see:

• A Backyard Writer's Shed in London.
• Calling All Writers: A Shed for the Literati.
• Steal This Look: Outfitting a Writer's Shed.

More Stories from Gardenista

"Home is where you park it" is the motto of Tiny Heirloom, a Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer of luxury travel trailers. For $75,000, the company will build you a house on wheels you can tow around the country—or park permanently in a scenic spot.

Let's look take a tour:

Photography via Tiny Heirloom.

Above: Starting at a base price of $75,000, customers work with a company engineer can customize the floor plan, exterior facade, and interior design says Tiny Heirloom founder Tyson Spiess: "Once we have something you love drawn up, we work with our engineer to get it ready to build in Portland, Oregon."

Above: On the exterior, you can customize trailer length, paint color, and roof pitch.

The tiny house qualifies as a travel trailer, so you can tow it on any road. When parking it, find a concrete pad, driveway, or level ground.

Above: The interior floor plan can be customized depending on whether you prefer a large kitchen, a full bathroom, or a generous living room.

Above: The base model comes with granite countertops, painted or stained cabinets and cupboards, real-wood or bamboo flooring, a Dickinson P-12000 heater, stainless steel appliances, and a combination washer-dryer.

Above: In the kitchen area, a subway tile backsplash.

Above: A small closet is big enough for the combination washer-dryer.

Above: The bedroom in a loft above the kitchen.

Above: Open shelving in the bathroom.

For more of our favorite tiny homes on wheels, see:

• Wanderlust: 13 Airstream Trailers for Living Small.
• A $25 Trailer Transformed, for a Family of Four.
• A Retro '60s Camper, Indoor Bathhouse Included.
• 5 Essentials for the Retro Camper.

More Stories from Gardenista

Last year Berlin-based design collective Raumlabor rallied architects, students, and the make-your-own crowd to build 22 pop-up cabins from trash collected in Mannheim, Germany. The catch: no cabin could cost more than €250.

Built of recycled wooden pallets, sheets of ridged fiberglass, cast-off lumber, and steel beams, the cabins started popping up in unlikely locations—from rooftops to riverside—throughout the city.

The results were charming—see below—and were rented out as Hotel Shabby Shabby lodging during the Theater der Welt festival last summer. Building on the success of the pop-up buildings, this year Raumlabor will sponsor Shabby Shabby apartments.

Photography via Raumlabor.

Above: On the bank above River Neckar, The Hedonist by Portuguese architects Nuno Pimenta and Frederico Martins is an homage to the architecture of Mies van der Rohe.

Above: This year's design-build competition for Shabby Shabby apartments is underway.

Above: Raised on scaffolding, urban treehouse 3 Lichter Hotel, designed by a French team: Nathalie Fournier, Cécile Roturier, Camille Delaunay, Simon Durand, Benjamin Le Roux, and Mathieu Le Roux.

Above: Living Room for the City by Alex Butterworth, Jennifer Gutteridge, Katherine Nolan, Claudia Fragoso, Felix Schaaf, from Berlin and London.

For more design inspiration from Germany, see:

• 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Germany.
• Courtyard Comeback: Rescuing a Midcentury Gem in Berlin.
• Studio Visit: At Home with Berlin's Star Florist, Annett Kuhlmann.

More Stories from Gardenista

Yet another contribution to the "Only in Europe" file: an architect-designed family cabin sited in the middle of a public park.

Spotted on Desire to Inspire: The Poplar Garden House is a small cabin in Groningen, the Netherlands, designed by Onix architect Haiko Meijer for his family. The cabin sits in the Meijers' allotment in a garden park in the center of the city, where plots are rented to anyone wishing for space to garden. Small structures are allowed on the plots, but are limited in size to about 200 square feet.

The Meijers' structure is a tiny story of split personalities. Because their sunny plot rests between an irrigation ditch and a playground, the architect designed the home accordingly, oriented toward an "introvert" garden to the north, and an "extrovert" to the south.

Above: The extroverted side of the house faces the playground and features a "creek garden."

Above: The building's design belies its modest purpose as a family garden headquarters and shed.

Above: The entire house is constructed of poplar planks of identical width. The space requires no electricity, and at first glance the skylight could pass for a recessed incandescent can.

Above: In a playful gesture, the architect meant for the planks to be easily removed, allowing art, flowers, or toys to dwell in their stead.

Above: From the concrete kitchen, a view of the introverted side of the garden.

Above: The park has sewers and running water, and an internal gas tank serves the kitchen stove.

Above: The kitchen's gray concrete adds a color counterpoint to the poplar boards.

Above: On both sides, the structure points its inhabitants in the direction of the garden.

Above: The cabin's introverted side abuts an irrigation ditch, shaded by an apple tree, a conifer, and rhododendron bushes.

Above: The garden's boulder clay soil was the reason for the "creek" landscaping, intended to help drain water into the nearby ditch.

• 11 Irresistible Oubuildings and Sheds from the Gardenista Gallery.
• Garden Visit: Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage at Dungeness.
• Before & After: A Charred Wood Cottage on a $45K Budget.

More Stories from Gardenista

How simply do you want to live? The question prompted South Africa-based architect Clara da Cruz Almeida to design a 183-square-foot prefab house—for two people to share. "You can learn to live without excess things," she says.

Her Life Pod, manufactured in Johannesburg, arrives on site in a flatpack, ready to be assembled. Designers Dokter and Misses created clever interior spaces—with a micro-kitchen, folding furniture, and an enviable amount of storage—to make the tiny house feel like a serene sanctuary for two. Here's how:

Photography via Pod-Idladla.

Above: Folding concertina doors allow indoor and outdoor spaces to merge. On the deck are hand-felted wool Boulder Cushions from Ronel Jordann.

"With a tiny house you need to get out, to live in society—go to the theater, go to the movies, interact with other people," says the architect. "It's about making life simpler."

Above: Of the interior space, Katy Taplin of Dokter and Misses says: "It needed to be very calm. We chose to keep the interior predominantly white with accents of mint green and gray."

The little house has a micro-kitchen (which feels spacious because it's under a pitched roof) where the predominant materials are plywood, powder-coated steel, and stainless steel counters. 

Above:"The idea is for the owner to display their items on the wall-mounted storage. It was also important to include as much enclosed storage as possible, to avoid clutter," says Taplin.

Above: A ladder leads to a sleeping loft. Clever design details including a folding sofa and folding table give the space flexibility to function in different ways. 

"The reason the roof is pitched is to maximize solar potential—more space is created to attach solar panels," says Adriaan Hugo of Dokter and Misses.

Above: Light switches and outlets are from US-based Legrand.

Above: Exterior metal cladding was supplied by Pretoria-based Cupric Tectonics.

For more of our favorite tiny living quarters, see:

• Outbuilding of the Week: A 290-Square-Foot House Built for Two.
• A 150-Square-Foot Finnish Cabin.
• Garden Visit: 66 Square Feet (Plus) on a Harlem Terrace.

More Stories from Gardenista

The challenge: To create a feeling of lightness and space for a pool house that must share space with a tennis court and the main house on just a small section of a six-acre parcel of land on Long Island.

The result: Brooklyn-based architects Vrinda Khanna and Robert Schultz of Khanna Schultz designed a simple modern structure that seems to hover above the natural landscape. Garden designer Julie Farris of XS Space planted native grasses and an undulating lawn to connect the pool house to the landscape.

The bonus? The pool house has solar paneling on the roof, supplying the main house with all its power in the off season.

Photography by John Porcheddu via Khanna Schultz.

Above: Working from the ground up, architects Khanna and Schultz came up with a pool house design that is part building, part shade structure, that echoes key elements of the main house. Because of zoning restrictions, all the structures had to be wedged onto just 15% of the property. Built on an elevated plinth with "a simple, repeating palette," says Schultz, of wood and steel, the pool house also screens the tennis court from the main house. The exterior and underside are stained red cedar for beauty and durability; glulam beams and exposed steel columns reveal the house's full structural bones.

Above: The original site had a uniform slope. The architects, working with Farris of XS Space, used landfill from the house's excavation to create a subtle artificial wave-like topography on the lawn.

Above: Not only does the topography help with drainage but, says Farris, "What was once slightly regular, now has some movement," says Farris, especially as the sun moves across the area throughout the day.

Above: Hardy native perennial plantings help soften the required pool fence, here of limestone, and add some interest to the view from the house. Some of the plantings jump the wall in cutouts within the enclosure. Bright green clumpy Miscanthus mix with the dusty purples of Russian sage, yellows of Black-eyed Susans, and the wheats of Calamagrostis, all chosen to bring a colorful, beach-y feel to this hidden home.

Above: The owner uses the spa, clad in the same bluestone used on the patio, on rainy days—and heat from solar cells on the large roof structure all winter long.

Above: No one wants to traipse water into the main house, so the pool house has bathroom, changing room, and pantry, with cedar cabinetry, small dishwasher and refrigerator, and Graphite slate floor, from NY-based Stone Source.  Windows and doors are mahogany, which relates to the language of the main house.

Above: The pool has a long floating bench, of the same red cedar as the pool house and designed to look like a dock—a playful "little reference," the architects say, "to places nearby." The architecture of the main house, visible beyond the pool, set the tone for the rest of the project.

Above: The tennis court—and the solar panels—reveal themselves on the back side of the pool house.

More Stories from Gardenista

Spread over 35 acres of California's high desert, artist Andrea Zittel's otherworldly studio compound on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park features a dozen freestanding pods that look like compact trailers from Mars. 

Zittel, a longstanding international art star represented by Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York and Regen Projects in LA, among others, describes her work as "encompassing all aspects of day-to-day living: home, furniture, clothing, food, all become the sites of investigation in an ongoing endeavor to better understand human nature and the social construction of needs."

The home base for her study, A-Z West is a destination; Zittel invites kindred spirits to come and stay for up to a month at a time in spring and fall. Consider this our application. 

Photography via TRNK, unless otherwise noted.

Above: Rising amid the boulders, Zittel's flip-top living units are made of steel, aluminum, MDF, and Lexan. Residents can sleep in the open or pull down the roof for shade and protection from the wind.

Above: Single-size Wagon Stations are furnished with a mattress, shelf, hooks, sun hat (essential in these parts), flashlight, and brush for removing sand. Visitors stay free of charge, and the rules of the compound include pitching in an hour every morning on upkeep and kitchen duties.

Above: Some of Zittel's sleeping units are scaled for one, others for a family, and several have been customized by artists in residence. 

Zittel moved to the desert in 2000, established her setup as a nonprofit, and has been building a creative community since then. "We believe there are many ways to live, and that learning from others can offer new insight and perspectives on ourselves and the everyday environments we may think we already know well," she says. 

Above: The encampment has a communal kitchen that rises in the sand. Though it looks as if the encampment stands on its own, the town of Joshua Tree isn't far.

Above: The structure, and tables too, are composed of concrete block and wood. Partial walls help keep out the sand.

Above: Zittel's bare-bones design is detailed with steel storage cubes overhead. Bowls of various sizes are used for serving food and drink.

Initially water had to be trucked to the site, but eventually Zittel received a grant to build a well. Propane stoves are used for cooking and there's no fridge. Zittel advises prospective guests: "Ideally you will be a kitchen cleaner, a cool chest organizer, and you won’t mind sometimes making extra coffee to share with others in the morning." Photograph via A-Z West.

Above: An open-air shower area is situated on the other side of the wall, and elsewhere there are composting toilets.

"Our time at A-Z West was one of reflection, where everyday actions like preparing meals and going to the bathroom were reconsidered. Our movements were dictated by the elements—finding warmth in the mornings, shade in the afternoons, and shelter in downtown Joshua Tree during a few particularly brutal windstorms," writes visitor Nick Nemechek of magazine/design shop TRNK. "By distilling the camp to the minimum, the artist challenged our relationship to the many objects we indiscriminately consider essential...The experience has made me an infinitely more discerning consumer of objects, space, and time."

Above: Nestled at the foot of a rocky slope overlooking a valley, A-Z West is a two-hour drive east of LA. The colony also includes Zittel's home and studio, three shipping containers converted into additional sleeping quarters, and a chicken coop. Learn more and explore Zittel's far-ranging body of work and her blog at A-Z.

Intrigued? Here are two more creative hubs worth knowing about: Villa Lena, an Artist Residency and Hotel in Tuscany and Fogo Island Artist Studios in Newfoundland.

More Stories from Gardenista

Christine Albertsson, partner at Albertsson Hansen Architecture, faced a challenge: to create a storage solution for a client's tractor and its many attachments. (Maintaining an enormous plot of land in the backwoods of Minnesota requires a different piece of equipment for each season: winter calls for snow blowers, and tractor canopies are used in summer.)

The client asked for one big building. But the design team recognized that dividing the buildings would be a better way to organize equipment that sees seasonal use. The outcome is three hardworking barns that are designed beautifully. Let's take a look:

Photography by Peter Bastianelli-Kerze.

Above: The three barns surround a courtyard; each structure serves a different purpose. One barn holds tractor attachments and snowmobiles, another houses tractors and an attic, and the third is used as a garage and workshop.

Above: To equip the barns for Minnesota winters, Albertsson armed the standing seam steel roofs with snow guards. The design team searched for months to find the perfect gray paint for the cedar siding. 

Above: Granite pavers were laid on the ground to prevent weeds from growing up against the building. 

Above: Each foundation is local Minnesota limestone and the chimney stacks are clad and galvanized steel. 

Above: Polished concrete and cedar make up the interior. 

Above: A work bench and sink in the garage.

Above: The design team measured every piece of machinery to "ensure that the barns were completely functional."

Above: The three barns sit in the middle of a vast meadow. 

For more of our favorite barns and outbuildings, see: 

• Bringing Up Baby: A Bavarian Barn for Pygmy Goats.
• Landscape Architect Visit: A Hudson Valley Farm, Pond Included.
• Outbuilding of the Week: Designer Tim Lloyd's Timber Work Studio in Hampshire.

More Stories from Gardenista

San Francisco Bay Area-based o2 Treehouse specializes in designing and building "arbor-textual creations" for residences and commercial properties.

Since 2006, when founder Dustin Feider coupled his background in furniture design with his passion for outdoor climbing to start building treehouses, he and his crew have built dozens all over California. 

In September of 2014, the team built a two-story structure on 30 acres in Calistoga near Northern California wine country. For a client who wanted a treehouse that complemented a ranch-style house just 5 yards away, Feider came up with a design that includes interior space, a slide, a swing, and a cantilevered platform.  Let's take a look around.

Above: From initial sketch to completion, the project (which measures 27 feet long) took six weeks. The structural beams are made from kiln-dried Douglas fir and the siding is coated cedar.

Most treehouses are suspended by cables, but this particular design required a different setup to ensure it would withstand the elements. To allow the tree to sway normally in the event of heavy wind, the structural beams sit on bolts.

Before

Above: Laying out the bones of the building. 

Above: The treehouse in its final stage. After installation comes the process of caring for the tree by aerating the soil. This guarantees minimal damage to the tree and its roots, which can become suffocated in compacted soil created during construction.

After

Above: Fabricated offsite, the roof is made from Galvalume panels, a mixture of steel and aluminum.

Above: Quarter-inch cable railings line the cantilever. 

Above: The structure was built around the canopy to ensure that visitors had a view of a "wonderful part of the tree," said Feider.

Above: The second-level interior.  

Above: Feider enlisted a local weaver to create a floor mesh from marine-grade rope. 

For similar projects, take a look at Little Red Treehouse in the Big Woods and Architect Visit: An Indestructable Cabin on Stilts by Olson Kundig. 

More Stories from Gardenista

With a pedigree that includes 15 years of working for Belgian master architect Vincent Van Duysen, Marc Merckx designs elegantly minimal furnishings and spaces with a quiet air of luxury.

A dark, spare pool house reflects his design philosophy: "a constant search for the perfect balance between proportions, materials, and space."

Photography via Marc Merckx.

Above: Antwerp-based Merckx, who designs custom furniture for his interiors, last year launched a new line of garden furniture (in collaboration with Pieter Maes) for Tribù. 

Above: The pool house has a black timber facade.

Above: A black steel pergola visually connects the pool house to the swimming pool.

Above: Inside the pool house, a neutral palette and natural materials reinforce the connection to nature.

Above: A trough sink is a simple shape, but with exaggerated proportions that make it the focus of the room.

Above: Tongue and groove paneling covers a wall of concealed storage.

Above: The pool surface is a dark, moody blue to reflect the sky and surrounding trees. For more dark pools, see The New Modernism: 20 Best Minimalist Swimming Pools.

For more inspiring pool house design, see:

• Tiny Pool House, Big Views in Sonoma.
• Summer Roundup: 12 Great Pool Houses.
• Long Island Summer: A Modern Pool Pavilion in Water Mill.

More Stories from Gardenista