A prefabricated plywood cabin-style micro-home designed to help inhabitants reconnect with nature? Yes, please. Introducing Mountain Refuge, the concept for a tiny modular cabin that’s changing up cabin living.
Mountain Refuge: The New Prefab Cabin-Style Micro-Home
Italian architects Massimo Gnocchi and Paolo Danesi are the pair behind the startup company Mountain Refuge. They have created a concept for a prefabricated tiny modular cabin made of plywood, and now are searching for a partner to help them make their vision a reality. (1)
“The cabin’s concept is inspired by traditional archetypes, evoked through contemporary principles,” the pair explains. (1)
The entire cabin is designed to help people feel as close to nature as possible. (1)
The Design
One of the exterior walls is a glazed floor-to-ceiling window that allows for maximum views of the natural landscape. It’s modular in design so that it can exist as a single 24-square-meter space or with an additional second module that would provide 12-square-meters more room. (1)
Both modules’ roofs are in an angled position, slanting in opposite directions away from each other. This design creates a raised sleeping nook in the second module that is accessible by a staircase. (1)
Made entirely of plywood, the exterior of the cabin will be painted with pine tar to make sure it can stand up to all types of weather. Mountain Refuge has been designed with a small deck that wraps around the cabin to allow occupants to sit outside and enjoy their surroundings when the weather permits. (1)
Mountain Refuge does not require foundations, however, if necessary depending on where the cabin is being placed, a thin concrete slab can be used. (1)
The Interior
Inside the cabin, Gnocchi and Danesi’s goal is to keep it as basic and cozy as possible. This means leaving the plywood unpainted and keeping all furniture as simple as possible. (1)
There is space for a kitchenette that would include a sink and stove, as well as a small bathroom with a shower tucked in the back. (1)
Adaptable and Expandable
Mountain Refuge has been designed so that space can be modified and added to in order to suit the needs of the owner. Wanting to mimic wilderness cabins of the past, the modern design is independent structures that can be placed together to allow for freedom of design to the inhabitants. (2)
