The pandemic prompted a couple to commit to the San Juan Islands, where they built a string of black cabins that appear to float on a network of boardwalks.
While some people’s real estate searches revolve around grand views, extra bathrooms, or ample storage, Los Angeleno Todd Stevens’s was focused on something outside the house: kayaking. While he had found some good spots in Southern California over the years, his commute time to the water was long, so he started looking for a place to build a getaway that would provide better proximity to water. “By 2000, I was dream-searching real estate sites, looking for places near good kayaking,” Todd says.
Ets Architecture designed a cabin on Lopez Island that is split into three separate structures connected via raised boardwalks.
Photo by Taj Howe
Soon, he and his wife came across Washington’s San Juan Islands, an archipelago of more than 170 islands on the state’s northwest coast, edging the Canadian border. Looking at the four islands in the grouping that had ferry service, Todd narrowed his search and landed on Lopez Island, the third largest in the San Juans, which is known for its laid-back lifestyle and quiet pace. Of course, it was the kayaking that brought Todd and his wife there, but also “the fact that it’s so beautiful and peaceful,” he adds.
The cabin is clad in stained cedar, and the boardwalk is crafted from thermally modified ash decking, which helps it stand up to the island’s wet weather.
Photo by Taj Howe
The cedar contrasts the light maple interiors.
Photo by Taj Howe
See the full story on Dwell.com: They Built a Kayaking Crash Pad That Mimics the Famed Archipelago It Sits On
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