Blakely Island Cabin by Wittman Estes in the San Juan Island Archipelago, Washington
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Situated in San Juan Island Archipelago on the Salish Sea, this cabin is an open studio that pays tribute to the practice of building a tiny house in the woods in the tradition of Thoreau’s Walden Cabin and Le Corbusier’s 1952 Cabanon. Embracing a sense of floating, this 400-square-foot guest house is suspended within the forest on stilts above a sweeping terrain, with panoramic views of the Salish Sea. The compact 16’x20’ volume contains a small kitchen, a Murphy bed, one bath, and a loft for 2 bunks.
Nestled between a large glacial erratic boulder and mature Douglas fir tree, the small footprint replaced a previous shack, seeking a minimal impact on the delicate ecology of a remote San Juan Island site.
Program
A suspended metal walkway wends through the woods and guides the arrival to the entry and opens to views of Thatcher Bay. The compact kitchen is tucked beneath the loft. At the northwest, a bathroom has a glass to glass corner window looking into the forest. Hardwood decking extends inside and outside for a seamless connection to nature. Large multi-slide doors frame the expansive water views.
Off-Site Fabrication
The elevated design considers the delicate rocky ecology of the steep shoreline and the difficulty of getting construction machinery to the site. Inspired by traditions of modular building, many elements of the cabin were prefabricated offsite at the contractor’s yard in Everett. Grid-ordered structural steel frames support the wood framed volume and were designed for easy transport across the sea via barge before being lifted onto its minimal point foundation.
Climate
This secluded cabin takes advantage of the temperate Pacific Northwest seasons. In the warmer months, the sliding doors and full height glass blur the line between interior and exterior, extending the living space to the outdoors. In the windy colder months, the residents can be indoors looking out, warmed by birch plywood and a fireplace, providing a place of refuge for family activities and gatherings. In the warmer summer months, sliding doors open and encourage one to be outdoors on the open-air terraces. The main living space and bed open to the east to welcome the morning sun.
Materials
The simple volume is clad in Western red cedar milled from nearby trees on Blakely Island, and left to weather naturally. On the interiors, locally sourced cedar and fir, plaster bath walls, reflections in mirrors, and translucent curtains create an ethereal palette that is airy and warm. The space is heated by a suspended wood burning fireplace that rotates 360 degrees for use both inside and outside. The architect designed a custom movable fire cart and tools that nest into an angled steel storage nook.
Local materials and small spaces distill living down to a simple essence, in the words of Thoreau “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life”.
Project Credits
Architect: Wittman Estes, Design Principal: Matt Wittman, Project Team: Brandon Patterson
Landscape Designer: Jody Estes
Builder: East / West Custom Builders
Structural Engineer: J Welch Engineers
Environmental Consultant: Biohabitats
Arborist: Seattle Tree Care
Photography: Andrew Pogue
