This Connecticut retreat touches the ground lightly within woodland
This new creative Connecticut retreat combines generous interiors with a minimal footprint and light touch on the forest floor

At just 1200 sq ft, this square Connecticut retreat in the woods is modest in size but grand in outlook. Designed by New York office Scalar Architecture, the cabin is sited in the midst of a forest clearing and accessible only on foot or by a light utility vehicle.
Designing a Connecticut retreat in the woods
The site has a gradient, as well as a large boulder that neither client nor architect wanted to remove. To achieve this, the entire structure has been raised up on concrete piers, with a off-central square courtyard exposing the rock at ground level. The main entrance is at the top of the slope, offering views down the full length of the living and dining room.
A secondary entrance takes you via a set of steps leading to a covered walkway that also doubles as a terrace, taking you around the rock to a door that opens directly into the main living space.
Here, the ceilings reach up the full height of the façade, with large windows and thick timber mullions offering views into the woods.
Timber beams criss-cross the top half of the room, with steps that lead up to a kitchen and two identical, cell-like bedrooms and a bathroom.
The clients are writers and producers, and the house is designed to be a creative retreat, offering respite from the city.
The pitched roof is inverted, creating an ‘impluvium’ that directs rainwater to storage. The walls and roof are clad in a leaf-resistant siding with no open gutters to clog up. High levels of insulation are packed into the structural wooden frame and the interior is clad and lined with timber boards.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
The end result is a refined box that perches above the forest floor, providing a warm space for quiet contemplation.
Scalar Architecture was founded by the Spanish-born architect Julio Salcedo, a Harvard graduate who has also worked for Rafael Moneo and SOM. As well as completing projects in Central and North America, the practice is working on a sustainable park in Madrid.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Marta Pan and André Wogenscky's legacy is alive through their modernist home in France
Fondation Marta Pan – André Wogenscky: how a creative couple’s sculptural masterpiece in France keeps its authors’ legacy alive
By Adam Štěch Published
-
A Dubai ‘sky palace’ debuts developer Omniyat’s new Bespoke category
Omniyat Bespoke, the developer’s new ultra-luxury arm, launches with the Luna Sky Palace penthouse at Orla, Dorchester Collection
By Simon Mills Published
-
The Architecture of Seduction: how Horace Gifford built a modernist, queer paradise
Fire Island is explored through a new edition of Christopher Rawlins’ seminal architectural and social history book on the life and work of Horace Gifford
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Step inside this furniture gallerist's live-work space by Steven Holl in upstate New York
Designed by Steven Holl for modern furniture gallerists Mark McDonald and Dwayne Resnick, this live-work space in upstate New York is a midcentury collector’s paradise
By Michael Webb Published
-
Remembering architect Ricardo Scofidio (1935 – 2025)
Ricardo Scofidio, seminal architect and co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, has died, aged 89; we honour his passing and celebrate his life
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Is the U.S. about to sell dozens of architecturally-significant government buildings?
It depends, the Trump administration says
By Anna Fixsen Published
-
10 emerging Californian practices rethink architecture in the Golden State
We highlight ten emerging Californian practices that are redrawing the borders of traditional architecture with their unique creative explorations
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills launches: we take the tour
Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills launches to a design by Thomas Juul-Hansen, marking the brand's first standalone home project in the swanky Los Angeles neighbourhood
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Rebuilding LA: Altadena architects talk after the fire
A discussion with Altadena’s architects about bringing a devastated Los Angeles back to life after the January 2025 fires launches our ‘Rebuilding LA’ series
By Mimi Zeiger Published
-
This narrow home in San Francisco is a modern take on treehouse living
In San Francisco, a narrow home by Dumican Mosey Architects, Dolores Heights House, is a demonstration of how to make the most of an awkward plot, creating an expansive home overlooking the trees
By Tianna Williams Published