Home tour | A sustainable Catskills cabin with a minimalist interior
For today’s home tour we’re taking a trip to the Catskills Mountains in upstate New York, where a gorgeous contemporary cabin showcases minimalist Scandinavian design that’s totally in tune with its natural surroundings. It’s the perfect weekend escape for Maria Ibañez de Sendadiano and Todd Rouhe of Manhattan firm IdS/R Architecture, who decided to build their own country retreat after 10 years of hiking and camping in the area with their two teenage daughters.
Maria and Todd wanted to create a home with as little environmental impact as possible and followed Passive House standards, drawing up an energy-efficient dwelling with solar panels and an air-tight structure. They were also keen to ensure it blended in with the landscape, and that no trees would have to be removed before or during construction.
Inspired by traditional longhouses, the resulting design sits on a platform that lifts it above two streams and counteracts the slope of the site. It’s rectangular in shape, with a bedroom and bathroom at either end, an open-plan kitchen and living space in the middle, and a spare bedroom / study on a mezzanine above. Sliding glass doors run along both sides, providing easy access to two external decks, and some sections have been left open to the roof, exposing the steel frame and timber beams. Importantly, both the building’s exterior finishes and interior decor reflect its woodland setting, with earthy colours and natural materials such as larch cladding and grey quarried-stone floor tiles.
The couple initially struggled to find a kitchen design that didn’t compromise on the spacious, minimalist feel, but Vipp’s modular V1 range proved to be the ideal solution. The freestanding island unit incorporates a sink, dishwasher and induction hob without obstructing the floor-to-ceiling views, while flush full-length pantry cupboards hide storage drawers, shelves and small appliances. The sleek black powder-coated aluminium fronts are offset by white-painted doors and birch plywood interiors, neatly echoing the white walls, plywood panels and plywood window trim. The circular dining table is a custom-made design also in birch ply, with HAY oak ‘Result’ chairs around it and a Vipp pendant light hanging above.
The lounge area beyond is beautifully pared-back, with a grey HAY ‘Mags’ sofa and vintage Eames rocking chair around a contemporary wood-burner from Danish brand Rais. A recessed log store adds texture and warmth, as do a soft off-white rug, a rustic wooden stool and an oversized vase of foraged foliage.
The bedrooms are almost entirely panelled in birch, creating simple yet cosy cocoons with a much more intimate atmosphere than the communal areas. The desk is the ‘Copenhague 90’ design by HAY and the wall lamps, like most lighting in the cabin, are from Vipp.
The mezzanine, meanwhile, is furnished with daybeds that Maria and Todd designed specifically for the space. Made from birch ply, they can be used separately or pushed together to form one large bed – ideal for visiting family and friends, or for simply lazing around watching the trees outside the window turn from leafy green to autumn gold to bare and wintry.
Photography by Eric Petschek, courtesy of IdS/R Architecture and Vipp
