Cool Cabin: The Huddle

WORDS Michaela Stehr PHOTOS courtesy of Raw Modular Structures

Snuggle up this winter in The Huddle – a micro cabin on Rosemary Hill Farm conceptualised and brought to life by Raw Modular Structures.

Using the basic structure of a shipping container, The Huddle celebrates the concept of small spaces. An elevated hideaway made from steel, glass and timber, boasting views of the surrounding bush, it creates a cocoon-like feeling for guests to reflect, relax and unwind in pared-back luxury.

Designed by the team at Raw Modular Structures, they know their way around the compact living movement, from what materials work best to how to optimise space, create a comfortable environment and set the mood with lighting and decor to wow visitors. The studio designed all the bespoke furniture in The Huddle, modular pieces that work and blend with the long and narrow interior of the structure. With flexibility, usability and an adaptable nature in mind, the pieces were each designed to work with the building, with form following function.

Founder of Raw Modular Peet van Straaten elaborates “Raw Modular was just starting to develop structures and I thought it would be smart to start with something that already had a structure of its own (hence the container) and decided to put this interesting wooden “parasite” or leech structure on top of it. Basically, taking this unforgiving cold industrial steel box and turning it into a place where humans would love to spend time.”

The Huddle is made from predominately engineered board materials, such as Finnish birch and spruce for the interior build with thermally treated Lunawood for the exterior cladding. Large bits of glass in aluminium frames and recycled P.E.T insulation make up most of the rest of the materials. All these materials were chosen for their very low carbon footprint.

READ MORE: Suidster in The Langeberg Mountains

“It’s just lovely,” Peet elaborates. “You are wrapped in this beautifully panelled interior with huge views outright at the bed. All the furniture is part of a compact living furniture system called Stilts designed in-house to solve the challenges of small spaces and it fits seamlessly into the rest of the cabin. It feels big and spacious despite the narrowness of the shipping container and that, I feel, takes quite a bit of skill.” | rosemaryhill.co.za | rawmodular.com

Looking for more? Read our feature on 12 Off-grid Tiny Cabins. Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.here.