This weekend, Sunset Magazine unveiled its latest Idea House concept, a Modern Cottage that showcases sustainable design innovations and new ideas for indoor/outdoor living. The cottage was created by Casper Mork-Ulnes, who heads up Modern Cabana, a local company that builds pre-fab backyard structures. The Modern Cottage is intended as a kind of "instant" addition to a family home—a guest house, studio, or quiet getaway that's built sustainably and doesn't break the bank. Check out some details of the design after the jump...

The Modern Cottage is fashioned from two of Modern Cabana's structures attached together to form a larger building. A patio made from composite decking surrounds the entire cottage, forming several outdoor rooms that extend the living space: an outdoor kitchen, children's playhouse, lounging deck, and shower. There's even a mini-me of the Modern Cottage for the dog, complete with a living roof!

Clearly the designers here were looking at how to expand a family's space footprint while minimizing any expansion of their carbon footprint. Eco-conscious choices include recycled denim insulation, no-VOC finishes, locally crafted materials, and bamboo flooring. Recycled tire rubber was used to waterproof the roof.

You can see the Modern Cottage for yourself at the magazine's Menlo Park campus: Sunset offers tours Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10am-5pm through July 19. Tickets are $15. If you don't live in the area or can't make it down for a tour, check out the rest of the photos online.

(Images: E. Spencer Toy for Sunset Magazine)