Sleeping under the stars has become a lot more stylish thanks to this new cabin design.
Mounted on sliders, the walls of the ‘Anna collection‘ cabin slides open, exposing part of the wooden housing to the elements.
The inner wall of the cabin – called ‘shell’ – is made of double glass, while the outer wall is made of wood. By manually pushing and pulling these ‘shells’, the space can be reconfigured to create a wood roof or a glass roof, and the cabin can be opened for fresh air.
“You may experience the beauty of a downpour from under the glass roof, wake up early in the morning among the birds and be enchanted at night by the starry sky directly above your bed,” says Caspar Schols, the Dutch architectural designer behind the structure.
The cabin, which takes around five days to assemble, costs £383,600 (€437,000). Inside features include a ‘luxury’ bathroom, shower, fully equipped kitchen, and two queen size beds – one that stows away under a floor latch, and a second that sits in a mezzanine reached by a ladder.
Mounted on sliders, the walls of the ‘Anna Collection’ cabin can be pushed open, exposing part of the wooden enclosure to the elements
The inner wall of the cabin – called ‘shell’ – is made of double glass, while the outer wall is made of wood
There is also a bathtub, tucked away in a nook built into the floor.
The unusual shell design makes the cabin – which can reach a maximum length of 13 meters (42 ft) – adaptable to the seasons. In winter, the insulated wooden shell “holds in the heat like a thick winter coat,” says Schols.
In the spring or autumn, the glass keeps the rain out or lets the sun in to warm up the room.
When temperatures rise in the summer, residents can slide and close the wooden layer to block out the warming sun. Alternatively, they can slide open the glass layer to let the wind in.
According to Schols, the Anna Collection cabin can be used as a meditation center, office space, holiday home, art studio, guest house or simply as a home.
The first series of cabins are planned to be built in Europe later this year. After purchase, the hut will be built by Schols and his team at a location of the owner’s choice.
The cabin was designed by Dutch architectural designer Caspar Schols
The space can be reconfigured to create a wood roof or a glass roof. Residents manually push and pull the cabin open and closed
You could be enchanted at night by the starry sky directly above your bed,” says the designer
Depending on how the shells are arranged, the cabin can reach a maximum length of 13 m (42 ft).
The bathtub (left) is tucked away in a nook built into the floor. Pictured right is the cabin’s shower, complete with ‘high-end faucets’
The design is said to have “minimum ecological disruption” and “can be taken apart and moved at any time without leaving a trace in nature.”
The designer notes that there are health benefits to staying in the cabin. Schols says, ‘By shifting the layers, “Anna” takes you by the hand to reconnect with Mother Nature step by step, which I believe is incredibly important for our own health and the health of our planet.
‘Margriet Sitskoorn, neuroscientist at Tilburg University, explains that what happens in the brain when you stay with ‘Anna’ is actually a strong cognitive response.
“That’s because your whole body is involved in opening up the whole hut. From the perspective of the brain, you create your own outdoor life. She relates this to Embodied Cognition. It’s completely different and much more powerful than what happens when you just walk out through an ordinary door.’
The cabin, which takes around five days to assemble, costs £383,600 (€437,000)
“Perhaps you experience the beauty of a fierce rain shower from under the glass roof,” says the designer. There is a fully equipped kitchen (right) in the cabin
According to the designer, the Anna Collection cabin can be used as a meditation center, office space, vacation rental, art studio, guest house or simply as a home.
One of the queen size beds (pictured) can be stowed away under a latch in the floor
In the spring or autumn, the glass bowl keeps the rain out or lets the sun in to warm up the room
After purchase, the cabin is personally built and signed off by the designer and his team
In winter, the insulated wooden shell of the hut keeps the heat inside like a thick winter coat’
Schols continues: ‘The cabin prepares the brain to open up and connect with the natural environment. And when the brain is fully connected to its natural environment, recovery processes that are important to prevent health problems such as chronic stress that so many of us suffer from the way we live, kick in.
‘This is also the reason why we don’t offer an electronic opening version of Anna. Using your own muscle power [to open the cabin] is essential.’
The designer has also created a sister cabin called Anna One with a starting price of around £219,345 (€250,000).
Schols says: ‘Anna One comes with the option to order as a flat pack that you put together yourself.’
You can now pre-order an Anna Collection cabin at cabin-anna.com.