This 516-Square-Foot Mountain Cabin Uses a Deck Instead of a Hallway Between Its Rooms
Set on a ridge in Brazil’s Mantiqueira Mountains, this 48-square-meter (516-square-foot) guest cabin by Gil Barbieri Arquitetura and Silvia Acar Arquitetura divides its rooms between two separate volumes instead of enclosing them under one compact floor plan.
A covered wood deck fills the gap between the two sides. The living room and kitchen occupy one volume, while the bedroom and bathroom sit across the deck in the other. Moving between them means crossing this outdoor space, which continues past the cabin and becomes a lookout over the valley. RAWI Arquitetura designed the interiors around the same central axis.
Two Small Volumes Sit Under One Roof
Black vertical wood cladding separates the cabin from the light underside of its broad roof. Rather than following the slope with one long enclosed structure, the building breaks into smaller blocks joined by the deck.
The exterior Pinus pine boards were charred with a torch on site. Cement boards, a waterproof membrane and rock wool insulation sit behind the ventilated wood façade.
Steel Supports Carry the Deck Across the Slope
From below, the cabin’s relationship with the terrain becomes clear. Reinforced-concrete foundations support elevated steel modules, while posts lift the outer deck above the falling ground.
Lightweight steel profiles, panelized walls and insulated metal roofing were selected in response to the remote site, restricted access and short construction schedule. Structural connections were assembled and welded on site.
Lookout Pushes Past the Enclosed Rooms
The deck does not stop at the exterior walls. Its steel frame continues out from the cabin, creating an open platform above the hillside without adding another enclosed room.
Most of the structural system stays concealed within the cabin. The floor beams and lookout structure are among the parts left exposed, making the difference between the enclosed volumes and projecting deck easy to read from outside.
Deck Becomes the Route Into the Cabin
Visitors approach across the wood deck rather than entering from a conventional front path and interior foyer. Two dark volumes frame the covered section ahead, with the same boards continuing between them.
That central passage organizes the plan. One side contains the social spaces, while the other holds the private rooms.
Living Room and Bedroom Face Each Other Across the Deck
Wide openings on both sides turn the covered deck into the cabin’s circulation space. The living area opens from the left, the bedroom from the right, and the uncovered portion extends straight ahead toward the mountain view.
There is no enclosed hallway connecting the two volumes. The veranda takes over that job while also providing space for chairs between the rooms.
Paricá Plywood Covers Walls and Ceiling
Inside the social volume, Paricá plywood runs across the walls and ceiling, replacing the black exterior finish with a light wood surface. Polished concrete forms the floor and continues through the cabin’s three interior spaces.
Furniture stays near the room edges. A sofa, low tables and dining furniture leave a direct route between the kitchen and the large opening onto the deck.
Kitchen Fits Along the Back Wall
Black base cabinets concentrate the kitchen beneath a wide horizontal window, with Paricá cabinetry above. A compact oven and undercounter appliance fit into the same run rather than requiring a separate kitchen zone.
The dining table sits beside the kitchen and uses a built-in bench against the plywood wall. This keeps the center of the room open instead of filling the 516-square-foot cabin with additional circulation paths.
Crossing the Deck Replaces Walking Down a Hall
From the living volume, the bedroom is visible across the covered deck. The change from polished concrete to wood decking marks the point where the interior ends, even though the roof continues overhead.
This opening shows how much of the cabin’s circulation has been moved outside. Reaching the bedroom means stepping onto the deck and crossing to the second volume rather than passing through another enclosed room.
Bedroom Opens Back Toward the Social Side
The bedroom reverses the same view. Its wide doorway faces the deck and the living volume beyond, placing the outdoor passage at the foot of the private space.
Paricá cabinetry follows the wall instead of projecting into the room. A curtain conceals the television, allowing the plywood surface to remain uninterrupted when the screen is not in use.
Bathroom Gets Its Own Opening to the Hillside
Rustic off-white tiles cover the bathroom walls and ceiling, breaking from the plywood used in the bedroom. A narrow floor-to-ceiling window sits beside the tub and brings the grassy slope into view.
The bathroom also has two doors: one from the bedroom and another from the veranda. Guests can therefore reach it from the social side of the cabin without passing through the bedroom.
Fire Pit Adds a Second Outdoor Space Below the Deck
A circular gravel fire-pit area sits on the ground beside the bedroom, with large stones forming seats around the center. It creates a second place to gather outdoors without taking space from the elevated wood deck.
Behind it, the deck extends over the falling terrain on steel posts and cross bracing. Short wood steps connect the bedroom to ground level, while the large opening gives the bed a direct view toward the mountains.
Deck Ends With the View Instead of Another Room
From the covered space between the two volumes, the cabin’s plan resolves into one straight line. Bedroom and living spaces sit at the sides, while the wood deck continues ahead with no enclosed room blocking the mountain view.
The architects used the veranda as both connector and lookout. In a 516-square-foot cabin, space that could have become an interior hallway was left outdoors, separating the two volumes while providing the route between them.
Image Credits go to @oalbertoricci.