Designed in nature and eco friendly I’m happy to share with you the Tye River Cabin located in Skykomish, Washington. The architects, Olson Kundig, designed this cabin with large windows and glass doors for entertaining and inviting the outdoors in. I feel these features give the modern river cabin a more natural feel.
The cabin is compact yet cozy and fully equipped with a kitchen, living room with a fireplace, two bedrooms and a bathroom. I think this cabin in the woods would make a nice peaceful place to live, how about you? Enjoy the photos below and let us know what you think are about this cabin down by the river.
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600 Sq. Ft. Tye River Cabin in Washington

Images © Olson Kundig







Images © Olson Kundig
Resources:
- Olson Kundig Architects
- As seen on Trendir
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This is beautiful. Would love to know cost.
I love the open design and wonderful flowing layout, but concrete is not an eco friendly material. Borrowed from http://greenlivingideas.com/2008/12/21/can-concrete-be-eco-friendly/
◾In comparison to other industrial processes, cement production is extremely energy- and fossil fuel-intensive, making it the third ranking producer of carbon dioxide emissions (the primary greenhouse gas contributing to global warming).
◾Cement production is increasing by approximately 5% a year, making it one of the most environmentally destructive materials.
◾Aggregate materials like sand and stone that are mixed with cement are mined from quarries, further taxing our natural resources.
Wow! How stunningly handsome! Agreed – a floor plan would be inspirational. I’m sure the concrete central core also acts as a heat sink for thermal massing to keep heating costs down. But what do you do in blackfly and mosquito season?….
The western states generally don’t have a blackfly & mosquito problem.
My thoughts exactly Johanna. I could only have the doors open for a brief period in the spring before the bugs started although it really is a lovely house.
Floor plan..??!! Please. Looks like very expensive construction. The concrete retaining walls, along with those huge, pivoting doors cost more than the entire rest of the house, I would think!!
WOW that is beautiful. A tad big for me, but beautiful. Love how in the Pacific Northwest it will allow more light in come fall and winter. And love the door windows that open up, while closed in winter will hold the heat in. Nice!!
Hah, at first look it looked like a (very) miniature of Falling Water designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
I really love this. I would have liked to see the bathroom and also
storage (crucial in a small home). Of course, the setting is beautiful and all those open-out doors just enhance the home. The wood gives this a warm and cozy cabin feeling while still having lots of style!
News Flash….there’s no such thing as global warming…it’s a great big wealth scam….please wake up, the world will be here for millions of years the people may die if they don’t learn to live and let live….but mother earth will be here. Nice little house by the way…., myself I’m into the cabin look myself , not knocking contemporary just never acquired the taste
Well here we are in 2021 and what have we got… GlObAl WaRmInG
Welcome to the real world
Well, this is sensational.
I’ve read, watched and researched many projects in the “micro, tiny, small and non-big home movement” and I must say that this is one of the more impressive. I’m sure you can’t release plans based upon this model (for obvious reasons), but I would certainly appreciate anyone sharing any plans that are at least close, and frankly, it wouldn’t be too hard if one were to have a friend who was a designer and/or architect (cad cam specialist), now would it. Nonetheless, nice to see a genuine “artistic aesthetic” to “living in a small world.” Cheers!
People, we may like it or not, according to our own sense of architectural beauty, but the building is original… I would love to see the plans. The cabin was built over one concrete bunker type basement, this and other details reveal the fact that the owner is a prepper.
Easily one of the nicest tiny homes that I’ve seen, and I definitely love what they’ve done with the outside area and the place to sit and grill and what-not. That’s easy livin’ right there.
would like to have the floor plans or see them. Is it or sale (600 ft) Also is there laundry,county water, solar, or any other additional land conditions, or views? thanx….
Just fantastic.
time to make some personal time to get back into my 3D and model it up….
So want to see it in 3D !!
I like this cabin quite a bit! Beautiful location!
If I wanted to purchase this plan where would I do that??
Thanks
go to the architect, Olsen Sundae
Yuk.
I agree with PJ, Yuk.
Slabs of concrete, out in the forest is ridiculous. Pivoting glass walls on a cabin? Spare me. Lots of money, no design taste and a sense of impending doom.
Nice design and something that would go well on my ranch in Texas. Someone said something about this being a Prepper home, but I do not agree on that only because of all the windows. I think Preppers think more along the line of bunker, not show room.
As for floor plans or 3D image, if you go to the Builders web site, click news, then scroll for the Tye River cabin, you can see a floor plan and 3D layout of this home. This builder does some really nice work. If someone were to compare my design to Frank Lloyd Wright I would consider that a great complement.
Clearly designed as homage to nature! Absolutely beautiful. Is it special glass to keep the heat in? I, too, would be very interested in detail shots of kitchen, incl cabinets and appliance placement; BR, incl closet(s); and bath–shower, watercloset, sink? Overall, love the open, nature-loving design!
Stunning….beautiful mix of materials and textures.
The openness created by the use of so much glass amazingly still gives a feel of warmth and coziness.
Beautifully designed………(would expect nothing less from the design firm)
Looks like the perfect place—for Hawaii!! I lived up near Skykomish for 15 years, and there is maybe one day a year you could open up all those glass walls and enjoy some warmth. Otherwise, that fireplace would be burning all year. It is NOT a climate condusive to that much glass and openness. And, where is the bathroom, closet, etc. –more info. It’s quite lovely, but seems impractical from what is shown here.
Looks very cold. Only thing cozy was the rug on the kitchen floor. Have to takke a lot of warm clothes. It would take a long time to warm up all the concrete.
What is the roof made of? And the siding outside what is that? Is the house fully insulated and hookup to electri and water??
I’m obsessed!
is there a cost estimate to build?
I think it’s really pretty contemporary and doesn’t look very cozy to me (JMO) but I do love the way those windows (or doors?) slide around. Then again, I love log cabins, beautiful woods and bright colors, those are warmer to me in general.
I’m not into concrete but this just seems to work. Nice find!
tiny but undoubtedly ridiculously expensive. Here’s taking environmentally friendly ideas, distorting them and putting them out of the reach of the masses. The concrete is repulsive. Small house but big footprint
Did some one demand YOU pay for it? Did you forget to listen to your mother dusing that whole “If you can’t say something nice–don’t say anything” lesson?
As for the concrete–wood would undoubtedly rot fast in this climate. The concrete should hold up well for many many years.
Did any one SAY this was FOR the “masses”? A lot of people have decided that this site MUST only show homes that cost less than $100 and be on some one ELSES land “tax free”–I got news for you—even if you are not paying taxes directly–SOME ONE is paying those taxes. Even if they let you live rent free–THEY are paying taxes for the land. And in case you did not know–this is what pays for roads; bridges; schools; fire protection; police; libraries–and a whole host of other services we have come to demand as part of a civilized society. If you want anarchy–well there is always a nice Middle Eastern War going on in some country where they would welcome you.
Small house love!
Very nice !Clean design
It is so warm and welcoming looking….NOT ! The comment about the Concrete walls warming the interior it would need a lot of sunshine on them and I don’t see any of the walls exposed to the sun, in addition to
the fact that the sunshines about one month out of the year. ( I have relatives that live near the area )
The concrete is sure to hold up much longer than I would guess most wood will in this rainy climate; it is a lot easier to maintain than wood and can be hosed off and not need endless upkeep. I had a lovely concrete and slate flagstone porch–very large—and it was so EASY to keep clean; now I have a large wood deck that catches and holds every speck of dirt and every leaf; once they get wet it is almost impossible to get them off. And you have to look forward to endless upkeep–ugh. Splinters; staining; warping—fading.
And tell me–how ELSE would you make a basement —other than to do a concrete pour–these days? We have moved on from dirt walls with fieldstones or concrete cinder blocks–haven’t we? My house built in ’77 has a full poured concrete foundation—and it is not a “bunker”. However there and in my case the site itself might dictate how DEEP you can go–ours had to be at a different level than planned as there was unexpected ledge stone and the owners did not want to wait and blast and re-excavate so they just made higher forms.
The amount of really picky criticism on here has gotten ridic.
I like the visual appeal, The Russian fire place looks like a good place to snuggle with a warm cocoa. Some of us are disabled, I use a wheelchair. I cannot clime stairs. I need a first floor bedroom and bathroom, with enough area around it to make it myself, without my bottom (face ) hitting the floor. How much room does the architect leave for a bathroom that is easy accessible and at some point I may need an aide to help with bathing. I do a lot of from cooking “from scratch” and like to grow what I can, I can my only soups, meats, vegetables and fruits that I can. So I also will need storage space for the tools of my way of living. I plan continuing and to find a floor plan to meet my need, looks, inside and out, will continue to be finished and make it mine as it is finished,
I’ve lived in the Seattle area, and have spent time in the area in which this cabin is built, and I have to say that the doors must be well insulated, and seal well when closed. My first thought upon seeing the cabin was that it must be in Hawaii.
Sure would like to see a floor plan, and data on it’s construction, etc. It’s very intriguing.
This is designed by a prestigious architectural firm. One of the founders of the firm wrote a wonderful book entitled “the not so big house”, in the mid-eighties, which was a for runner of the small/tiny house thinking. This house is gorgeous and functional in every possible way. I am certain it was costly and is worth every penny to the lucky owners. thank you for featuring this.
I absolutely love this.
The juxtaposition of the wood, concrete and glass convey a sense of style and longevity. This purposeful structure is inviting, warm and cozy. What a great spot to curl up in during the winter and rainy months. It seems very thought out in design and is definitely respective to the site on which it is tucked in.