There’s ruin porn, food porn – not to mention the regular kind. But by far and away our favourite visual stimulant is Cabin Porn. Because who hasn’t idly dreamed of ditching the rat race for the simple life?
Vimeo co-founder Zack Klein made the dream a reality five years ago when he built his own cabin in Upstate New York with a group of friends. Their exploits spawned the Tumblr blog, Cabin Porn, which quickly gained a cult following with its photos of handmade homes in backwaters across the world. Now it has culminated in a book.
We asked the editor Steven Leckart to pick out five of his favourite designs – dwellings that push the boundaries of cabin living.
‘With easy-to-find materials, imagination, and ingenuity, anyone can learn to craft a handmade structure that’s original and special’, says Leckart. His selection of ultimate cabins shows a ‘broad range of what’s possible’.
The couple fixing up this Southern California desert home found themselves with a stockpile of leftover lumber. But all the boards were too short to cover an entire wall, so they created this chevron pattern.
This cabin offers free shelter for cyclists traveling along The National Tourist Route in Grunnfør, Austvågøy in Norway’s Lofoten Islands. Courtesy of Pierre Wikberg
The Sunset House in West Virginia was built with windows salvaged from junkyards by Lilah Horowitz.
An off-grid hostel on Deer Isle in Maine with a stone foundation and an compost-heated outdoor shower. Courtesy of Deer Isle Hostel
A contemporary yurt in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland designed by Alec Farmer. Photography: Niall Walker
‘Cabin Porn: inspiration for your quiet place somewhere‘ is out on 29 September published via Particular Books, an imprint of Penguin Press
