Blakely Island Cabin

Blakely Island Cabin is a compact 400-square-foot retreat suspended above the forest in Washington’s San Juan Island Archipelago. Designed by Wittman Estes, the 16-by-20-foot guest house sits between a mature Douglas fir and a large glacial boulder, with panoramic views across the Salish Sea.

The cabin is raised on steel stilts to minimize its impact on the steep, rocky site. Many structural components were prefabricated off-site and transported by barge, while Western red cedar siding was milled from trees on Blakely Island and left unfinished to weather naturally. A narrow elevated walkway leads through the trees to the entrance, reinforcing the sense that the building is floating within the landscape.

Inside, Wittman Estes makes every part of the small footprint work harder. Birch plywood walls, fir beams, and solid ipe flooring give the space warmth, while large sliding glass doors open toward the water. A Murphy bed folds away during the day, a compact kitchen sits beneath a loft with two bunks, and the bathroom uses a corner window to frame the surrounding forest.