We know what you’re thinking: Gesamtkunstwerk. The architectural principal where building, accessories, furnishings, and landscape all come together in one harmonious, carefully considered, package. A total work of art if you’re translating precisely from the German.
The Oak Refuge, in the Catskill Mountains, Upstate New York was designed with this principle in mind. Corpus Studio, the Paris-based trio behind the project, have taken the template for a traditional log cabin and transformed it into something stunning; a building as modern and sleek as any downtown apartment but in-keeping with the wild rugged landscape which surrounds it.
Oak Refuge is comprised of five connected modular units with giant wall-sized doors that slide back to make one vast living space. Then there’s the fireplace. The focal point of the house, it features a ceramic suspended smoke canopy, intended to resemble the buttressed trunk of a great forest tree. Residents can sit back, cedar-wood burning, and take in the forest around them through the vast expanse of glazing present in almost ever room.
No need for a cagoule, totally safe from bears, and a damn sight more comfy – this is how to do The Great Outdoors the smart way.
For more work from Corpus Studio head over to their Instagram.
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