Header: Will Austin
Cabin in a Cabin is a renovation project by studio Syndicate Smith that began with an existing one-room log cabin from 1915, set on the forested shore of Lake Wenatchee in Washington, USA. Instead of replacing the old cabin completely or attaching a simple extension, the studio removed former additions to uncover the original structure, building a new contemporary lake house around it.
A cabin in a cabin
The old cabin was integrated into the home as a living room, decorated with leather sofas, rocking chairs, a textured rug and side tables. The thick log walls, visible chinking and rough stone chimney have been kept, including their uneven surfaces and signs of age. Set against the white walls and flat surfaces of the new construction, the cabin becomes the heaviest and most textured part of the interior. It also shapes the layout of the house, with circulation running around its edges so the living room can be reached from several sides and seen from the surrounding rooms. It works, therefore, almost like an internal building: a small timber structure held inside a larger house.
Right next to the cabin, we can find the dining area and the kitchen, which face the nearby lake and enjoy the stunning views provided by the large windows that cover the walls. On the opposite side, the bedroom wing is arranged over two levels, with the owners’ en suite bedroom on the main floor and rooms for their two grown children above. The old cabin acts, here, as a sort of separator, creating a unique corridor with the lake on one side and the old logs on the other. This is the perfect space for two little rocking chairs and a small table, as the evening setting must look incredible from there.
The work on the cabin
The preservation work depended heavily on Timberwood Construction, which treated the cabin after earlier extensions and additions were removed. A new foundation was poured, the logs were cleaned and sanded, paint was stripped from the chimney stone, and damaged chinking was repaired where needed. The work stopped short of making the cabin look pristine, as irregular surfaces, marks and imperfect areas were seen as deeply desirable by the clients.
Parts of the roof logs were removed and exchanged for modern pendant lights, but these removed elements were not discarded, having, instead, been reused in the front door and in built-ins.
A play of materials
The exterior is dark, compact and simple, with long, vertical cladding, metal trim and black-framed windows. The older timber cabin can be clearly perceived through the windows, and its warmer wood colour provided the perfect contrast against the dark frame and the greenery that surrounds it.
Inside, the designers added white walls, pale timber floors, fir casework, black frames, glass and metal. These materials are left simple so as not to compete with the intricacy of the cabin, which is truly intended as the spotlight of the space. Todd Smith, the lead architect, put it more simply: the new work is “nothing fussy”.
Project information
Architecture Company: Syndicate Smith
Lead Architect: Todd Smith
Other Designers’ Names: Sam Wade, Chelsea Courtney, Hannah Hering
Contractor: Timberwood Constructions
Structural Engineer: BTL Engineering
Photo Credit: Will Austin
Location: Lake Wenatchee, Washington, USA
