Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
The Totems is a beautifully designed log house design located in the coast mountains of British Columbia. This log house design was designed by architect Henry Yorke Mann who did a fabulous job of executing a traditional log cabin feel with a natural vibe, and mixing it with a contemporary feel. The tall ceilings in this log house and open concept design are such a beauty to enjoy. The log house was designed in tribute to the spirit of the forest around it and the Haida Gwaii people who are the original people who were to live on these lands and still do.
Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
The log house features large contemporary versions of totem poles, which is why it is appropriately called The Totems. The log house is styled in the same design as the Haida peoples traditional plank houses. This log design features a longhouse with a central fireplace as you would typically find in the Haida people's architectural designs. Mann put in glass skylights throughout the roof which makes for an amazing flow of light and would be beautiful to see the stars above at night. The couple who own the cabin building moved out of their original larger home into this 400 square foot cabin building.
Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
The beautiful log house design was very well planned out so that you have space enough for everything you need to put into the home design. Plus the luxury of being right in nature, which is becoming more and more desirable to people, hoping to spend some time out of the city. Could you picture yourself living here? The Totems is surrounded by towering trees and the tranquil water of a man-made pond, giving it an almost mystical quality. The roof of the cabin building is carried by massive abstracted totem pole figures that were intended to be a tribute to the spirit of the forest.
Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
Mann designed the small cabin building for clients who wanted a guesthouse on their heavily wooded 10-acre property located in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. The side wall beams of the cabin building hold up the edges of the roof which allowed Mann to insert continuous strips of glass between the wooden beams and the walls. The effect is that the heavy roof cabin building appears to be floating over the log walls underneath. The walls of the cabin building are constructed from 12inch by 12inch cedar timbers with dovetailed corners.
Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
The gable walls of the cabin building are mostly glass, with doors and windows that are fitted between the cedar posts of the totems. Many people have thought about downsizing their current homes at one time or another. But, maybe not to the extreme that a tiny house design can take it. Sure a tiny house design has its perks like less initial expense, lower maintenance costs, taxes and insurance and taxes. Tiny house design are often a good way to go green and the potential freedom to easily move the home design to a new location.
Looks Like a Tiny Log Cabin Outside, Feels Surprising Spacious Inside
However, it also comes with a completely different lifestyle than what most people are accustomed to. Living in a smaller home has become a trend in housing with numerous companies and websites that specifically deal in the flourishing small house design industry. Commonly referred to as small house living, tiny homes offer a simpler lifestyle that is often free from the financial burden of a large monthly mortgage payment. With 76 percent of Americans living from one paycheck to the next, the opportunity that tiny house designs present can be very intriguing. Millennials are primarily leading the way in the small house movement as they seek affordable housing options while paying down their student loans and credit card debt.