Who doesn’t dream of getting away for a while to a remote, private nature retreat? While some rustic and nature-centric cabins are just for vacations, there’s no reason you can’t make this a permanent, eco-friendly way of life. Let these 15 cabins, which are often off-grid, made of reclaimed materials and designed for the best views possible, tempt you into making some plans.
Phantom Ranch Cabin, Grand Canyon, Arizona
(image via: grand canyon nps)
Deep down in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, 4,600 feet below the South Rim, is a place known as Phantom Ranch. The only lodging facility below the rim of the Grand Canyon, it can only be reached by mule, foot or rafting the Colorado River. It consists of dormitory spaces and sweet little wood-and-stone cabins like the one pictured above.
Blaise Rustic Cottage, Bristol, England
(image via: crabchick)
Once a fairytale cottage with a thatched roof and a warm glow from the windows, Blaise Cottage – part of Blaise Hamlet in northwest Bristol, England – is sadly not quite what it used to be. The thatching was replaced with a green metal roof, some of the quaint windows have been boarded up and green moss is beginning to grow all over the natural bark exterior. But even in the after picture, the cottage has a feel that is not quite of this world. It looks like it belongs in a fairytale.
Sunset Cabin, Ontario, Canada
(image via: archdaily)
A private retreat on the shore of Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada, this little cabin is simple but sophisticated. The wooden slatting on the exterior is a modern interpretation of the way that light filters through tree branches, creating a striped effect on the interiors when hit with direct sunlight. The cabin also has a green roof planted with sedum and herbs.
Cabin on Flathead Lake, Montana
(image via: archdaily)
Another lakeside cabin is raised ons tilts to afford it a luxurious view. Designed by Andersson Wise architects, the cabin on Flathead Lake in Polson, Montana is rustic in its amenities, with no heating or cooling system and running water pumped up from the lake. It does, however, have a wall of windows that seem to extend the living area out into the wilderness.
