5 Tiny, Perfect Woodland Retreats For Your Lunch Break Virtual Vacation

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There’s something about a cabin. When it’s pleasant outside, you want a space that feels airy and breezy and open to the elements, but when the temperatures drop, nothing seems better than a cozy, comfortable home that fits like a favorite sweater. Since we love tiny houses as much in cool weather as in warm, we’ve scouted five perfect tiny houses that are also perfect retreats from the elements. Come take a look.

(Image credit: Go Logic via Small House Bliss)

What looks, at first glance, like a cluster of three tiny houses is actually one tiny house, composed of three separate buildings. The little cabins, erected on the site of an old granite quarry, on an island off the coast of Maine, all command dramatic views, and are quite spacious on the inside. The largest cabin serves as the kitchen, living, and dining space, while each of the smaller cabins is a bedroom with its own bathroom. See more at Small House Bliss.

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(Image credit: Architectural Digest)

On the shores of Montana’s Flathead Lake you’ll find this one-room cabin, which makes up in charm what it lacks in square footage. Perks include a screened porch, wood stove, and an outdoor kitchen with some very impressive views. Cooking outdoors may not seem very cold-weather friendly, but the owners claim to have done the dishes in the snow more than once. See more at Architectural Digest.

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(Image credit: Rasmud Norlander for Dwell)

(Image credit: Elnar Elton for Dwell)

This striking cabin in the snow has a big visual impact but a small footprint—only 592 square feet. The location is quite remote (in the winter, it can only be reached by cross-country skiing), and the house’s triangular design (reminiscent of an A-frame, but with a shallower angle) helps snow slide off the roof. Inside, the space is minimal but still warm, thanks to the blond wood paneling. See more at Dwell.

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(Image credit: Jason Koxvold for Studio Padron, via Dezeen)

This little cabin, in the woods of upstate New York, is not a residence but a guesthouse and library for an adjacent building. Still, I couldn’t help including it. It’s such a beautiful balance of modern and cozy, with the austere black siding on the outside and the warm wood on the inside. Large rectangular logs form the cabin’s walls, and gaps between them, in varied sizes, make the perfect home for an impressive collection of books. See more at Dezeen.

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(Image credit: Olson Kundig Architects)

The little cabin, on a small Canadian island off the coast of Vancouver Island, measures only 191 square feet. With a wood stove and wood-lined interior, it’s humble but very cozy. The only shower is outdoors, which can’t be great for cold weather, but the steel panel that slides to protect the windows can also be positioned to (partly) cover it. See more at Olson Kundig.