Bathing Under the Stars

I love the concept of being in the wilderness and bathing under the moon and stars, as I grew up in quite an isolated area. This is your own mini lux-campsite, with two buildings; one shed is for sleeping and lounging, and one for cooking and eating. There is an open fire pit just outside the kitchen shed, and an old claw foot bathtub situated on natural local stone “floor”. A composting toilet in it’s own shed and an old pedestal sink round out the space plan.

Cedar on the sheds and for decking is appropriate to site, and is long wearing; bright red Adirondack chairs provide contrast, and cascading decks mimick the boulders around the site. The sheds are positioned to catch the sunset over the stone outcrop. Old bog trees and the rock outcrop wrap gently around the camp like “walls”, making it feel protected and private. There are a variety of levels which provide an outlook, a pit and a cocooning space. The kitchen is central to all, and a sail protects you from direct summer sun, acting as a partial “roof”.

There is no plumbing to the bathtub, just allow the water to drain off the stone surface, and use a bucket to fill it with hot water (or have someone do it for you ;) …this is part of the charm, and the experience. I could spend a whole season here…just hiding out from the world. You’ll find me in the tub,reading a book .

And…it’s a cell phone free zone.

Design and Renderings, Michelle Morelan Design

**I’m off to the big city for a week, and will close my Art Giveaway when I return, so leave your lucky number until then  :)

A Small Cabin Design

Design and rendering by Michelle Morelan Design

Little cabins are my secret love. This one has retractable doors to reveal a bathtub to bath in nature, and clearstory windows to let in the west coast light.

little cabins

I have been thinking about little cabins recently. Tiny little spaces to retreat to for one reason or another. A vacation...a hut on your property only you know about; one where your taste alone is rendered.

At school we played with how much space you need to live; not only for the functions, but the psychological needs as well. I have been in a few very large homes, and am always amazed at the spaces people use to watch TV, and cozy up with loved ones. You know the space, one where you feel wrapped in comfort, where the scale and proportion makes you feel just right.

The creative director of Pottery Barn once featured a room in her house she called the five to seven room on House Beautiful TV a few years back...it was a large king bed tucked tightly into a small little sun room; it was filled with down pillows. She called it the five to seven room because those were the hours her young family used the space. There was a TV on the wall directly accross from this little nest of down goodness.

The little red caboose near my Aunt Glenna's in Cape Breton...taken last summer on my first visit back in 20 years!

My Aunt Glenna's cabin in Cape Breton

I have always loved small spaces. When I was a kid, my Aunt Glenna had a cabin at Bra'Dor lakes in the middle of Cape Breton, and there was a red caboose nearby; one afternoon her neighbour gave us a tour of it. I think that perfectly decorated little summer home is one of the reasons I am an Interior Designer today.

A friend of mine from school and I have dreamed of designing little cabins on a beautiful piece of land on the west coast of Vancouver Island, so I am always doing little sketches, trying to utilize just enough space, then setting them in a forest, along a river, by the ocean or on pilings along the tide line. My thought is that these small spaces are actually desirable to others as well.

Above: sketch by Michelle Morelan, BID

Above: a vacation home on Cortez Island, BC - Coastal Living

You can rent this home...

These next few adorable cabins are from the back of Inspired House; a writers space, a lounging get-away space and a bakers escape! I like the single use of these cabins... an imagined getaway in the woods...like you are up to something oh so secret. I bet there are no phone lines!

The books pictured have some great ideas for small cabins...check them out!