A Cabin Stands On Stilts At The Edge Of A Forest In Lithuania

“The primary idea was the design a house that would be as small as possible,” explains lead architect Ema Butrimaviciute, “and at the same time…could meet all the basic needs of two people. And maybe a dog.” The result is a compact dark wood cabin that stands on stilts that stands halfway between two major cities in Lithuania. Its location is isolated enough to feel remote, but close enough that commuting there doesn’t take all day. Built onto a gentle slope, the rear of the cabin is parked neatly in the forest, and the front, which opens onto a balcony, offers views to the fields and woodland beyond. Designed for minimum impact, the steel foundations of the structure were bolted to the ground by hand, and the remaining structure was made from structural insulation panels.

Within the cozy 14-square-meter space is a kitchenette, king size bed, a bathroom, and a wood burner. Butrimaviciute notes that their greatest achievement with the space was creating something so compact without transformable furniture: “there is no ladder, stairs, nothing that makes tiny houses complicated and uncomfortable to use.”