Until I'm convinced these plans are picturesque.

We just got an email from our friend @kamilbialous who wrote:

“My wife and I scraped some money together to purchase some raw old growth/2nd growth forest, that felt very remote and private on the property, but it is still close to a small town of about 2000 people. Tofino and Ucluelet are end-of-the-road towns on Vancouver Island, that have historically been resource towns, but have transitioned to tourism mostly, in large part due to the beauty of the landscapes and beaches, wildlife, and also surfing.

Peace Cabin is 500sq ft, and 13ft tall. It’s approximate 14'x35’, but it has proportionately large covered decks that amount to almost the square footage of the cabin itself. Our zoning partially limited the size we could build for a cabin, but it was such a welcome challenge. 

Functionally, it had to be able to sleep 2 couples comfortably without sacrifices to either party - so no crawling up into a tiny loft above a steaming kitchen. We wanted a large bathroom given the tightness of everything else, and then a really functional kitchen/living/dining. The exterior decks provide covered sitting and entering space from the rain. Heat is from radiant concrete floors, building envelope is super tight to keep energy requirements low. A gas fireplace inside and wood outside for cabin vibes.

Design-wise, for a tight space we borrowed some things from sailboat aesthetics, the table is permanently mounted to the floor on a steel pedestal, built-in kitchen, with apartment-size appliances. The sitting/living zone is also built-in like an L-shaped sailboat settee. Benches throughout make everything modular so you can sit on them or use them as coffee tables. The bedrooms are like little recharge capsules - just big enough for a comfy queen-size mattress and 3 big windows. You go in, close the door, and are immediately surrounded by trees and silence.

Quick recipe today! It’s marinated tuna that you can use for virtually any raw fish dish, like poké, sushi or temaki. I turned mine into amuse-bouche sized bites (with a dot of kewpie and masago on top) after being inspired by a restaurant in Taipei.

For every pound of cubed or diced ahi tuna, mix together:

3 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Neon Afternoon

Derelict industrial building in Minneapolis, 3.21.22