4.52

5

Nov 25, 2019

The reactions to this book are mixed from the reviews I see, for varying reasons. Some of them are quite funny, others serious. The pictures in this book are gorgeous, with various cabins, some pretty small and little more than a shed, to some quite nice multi-room cabins.

Some may dismiss having a vacation cabin to be a luxury or privilege - and that ain't exactly a lie in many cases, but that doesn't mean one can't enjoy this book. The title indicates what this book can and should be - The reactions to this book are mixed from the reviews I see, for varying reasons. Some of them are quite funny, others serious. The pictures in this book are gorgeous, with various cabins, some pretty small and little more than a shed, to some quite nice multi-room cabins.

Some may dismiss having a vacation cabin to be a luxury or privilege - and that ain't exactly a lie in many cases, but that doesn't mean one can't enjoy this book. The title indicates what this book can and should be - something for sheer enjoyment. If you don't care for cabins or country living or tiny houses, then this book isn't really for you.

But if you want a view of an eclectic lifestyle, and the various creative ways people have made these cozy refuges in nature and the wild, or looking for inspiration, then you should absolutely enjoy this book! 4.5/5 stars. ...more

0

Jan 09, 2016

Description: Many people yearn for their own quiet space. Somewhere remote - a place to write a novel or compose an album of love songs. A new book celebrates the work of those who have realised their dreams.

We live this dream.

Source

4

Oct 22, 2015

Great narratives and fascinating cabins around the world. The website (cabinporn.com) seems better than the book as the site contains so many more photos of cabins to puruse. The book is limited in the number of cabins photographed and discussed.

2

Jun 02, 2018

I don't know if cabins are as much an offshoot of white male privilege as this book suggests. Some bros compiled a book about bros, news at 11. If you turn your brain off and just look at the pictures, it's fairly soothing until you get about halfway through and realize the book is completely the wrong size and shape for the content. It's becoming hard to read the text in the crack because the book doesn't open as far as it needs to, meanwhile the crackling plastic dustcover makes a racket while I don't know if cabins are as much an offshoot of white male privilege as this book suggests. Some bros compiled a book about bros, news at 11. If you turn your brain off and just look at the pictures, it's fairly soothing until you get about halfway through and realize the book is completely the wrong size and shape for the content. It's becoming hard to read the text in the crack because the book doesn't open as far as it needs to, meanwhile the crackling plastic dustcover makes a racket while you're trying to read in bed. If you think these details are not relevant... are we talking about aesthetics or aren't we? ...more

3

Dec 19, 2017

Very beautiful photos but not very diverse - seems like every person who built a cabin was a white man with a beard. Lovely to flick through and choose your favourites though.

4

Jun 10, 2019

This book offers good stories and beautiful visuals. Whilst most stories are inspiring and rich of ideas, it made me feel unfortunate to live in a country that is so regulated. No scenario could possibly be undertaken here to create a living space that is both legal and up to the code. It is still a great book, but it features (only or mostly) Americans who have the chance to live in mostly wide open spaces where one can do as he pleases in terms of shelter. Land was either inherited and/or This book offers good stories and beautiful visuals. Whilst most stories are inspiring and rich of ideas, it made me feel unfortunate to live in a country that is so regulated. No scenario could possibly be undertaken here to create a living space that is both legal and up to the code. It is still a great book, but it features (only or mostly) Americans who have the chance to live in mostly wide open spaces where one can do as he pleases in terms of shelter. Land was either inherited and/or cheap to get. I wish a new version of this book could feature real people stories, from countries with a realistic population density and urbanistic laws. This frustration prevents me from giving Cabin Porn a 5-star rating. In the meantime I'll keep looking for an alternate way of living that doesn't make me an outlaw or a legally homeless person. *sighs* ...more

4

Jan 01, 2018

I have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to isolated cabins around the world, and thus, Cabin Porn looked like a book I would very much enjoy. It is peaceful to read, and provides a step up from the craze of hygge. The photography which has been included is stunning, and the placement and layout of the entire book are great, and work effectively. Cabin Porn has provoked rather strong wanderlust within me, and I will definitely be booking a couple of cabins to stay in in the future.

4

Dec 10, 2018

Beautiful and inspiring book. The stories went into enough detail to give you an overall view of how each kind of cabin/structure came into being. It doesn't go into how they are built, it is more of inspiration into starting the process and backstory of the builders. A downside for me was the lack of diversity of builders. Where are the women and other minority groups?

3

Jun 16, 2015

Reminded me of Kinfolk. Wishing for a trip to Vermont or Maine after looking at the pics. A great coffee table book . . . if you're into that kind of thing.

3

Jan 20, 2019

Much more a collection of photographs and vignettes of people that reviews on the cabins an building processes. Enjoyable for what it is, but doesn’t require much thought.

2

May 30, 2016

Gorgeous photos and nice organization. The feature stories were pretty boring, though. Could've been a lot more interesting.

5

Jan 21, 2018

Beautiful design, layout and photo documentation of several categories of small domiciles. This loaded magazine of retirement alternatives proves, once again, a condo in Florida is sooooo drab. :)

5

Aug 08, 2016

Great book with people's stories and pictures that make me want to buy some land and build a cabin.

5

Feb 20, 2017

Love love love it's made me itch to find that plot of land and get started! Love love love ❤️ it's made me itch to find that plot of land and get started! ...more

0

May 09, 2016

"Cabin Porn: Inspiration for your quiet place somewhere" is part a photography collection in book-format, part stories of individuals who have made their own sanctuaries surrounded by nature of hospitable and less accessible kinds alike. The photographs takes us all the way around the world, from Greenland to Norway to California to Quebec, to Romania and Chile, and beyond. What holds the photographs and stories of a select few together is the wish for someplace to rest, to connect, and to find "Cabin Porn: Inspiration for your quiet place somewhere" is part a photography collection in book-format, part stories of individuals who have made their own sanctuaries surrounded by nature of hospitable and less accessible kinds alike. The photographs takes us all the way around the world, from Greenland to Norway to California to Quebec, to Romania and Chile, and beyond. What holds the photographs and stories of a select few together is the wish for someplace to rest, to connect, and to find a piece of heaven on earth.

The book is divided into sections; that reflect the various kinds of 'cabins' included and showcases the breadth of what might be considered a home or a house. We go from the more traditional cabins to the salvaged structures made into something new with hard work, imagination and will. There's a section on modern; which shows some of the ideas of the current generation in architecture and design, as well as a section on 'rustic' that contrasts with the history of our lands and legacies. One of my favorite chapters was the one on tree-houses, a concept I have always loved and am certain I will one day make happen even if it takes many years to get there. This section is not only filled with beautiful photography of some of the buildings that fall into the category (some close to the ground, others high up in the tree tops), but includes a story of a man who built his own tree house using innovative techniques he made himself, to avoid risking damage to the trees. I loved his story because to me it showed not only the interest for making something non-intrusive in nature (as can be seen in many of the other stories as well), but also the imagination and creativity that goes into building something like a house with one's own hands, especially if the place in which one builds it is hard to reach or has no electricity. Imagination might be the only way to get around these limitations.

The stories are well-chosen, especially in showing the many different reasons one might build a house like this - to get away or quite the opposite, to have a place to gather all one's friends and family. The different designs, purposes, ingenuity, budgets, time-frames, etc. is shown well both through the choice of story-tellers and photographs that open the mind up for all the possibilities out there. While the writing itself is far from prose-like (as well as there being a frequent use of terms and tools I was not aware of, nor is there a thing like a dictionary to guide the reader who is not familiar with building), the people in them often speak for themselves. A delight to read and look at, and a book to return to again and again. ...more

5

Oct 06, 2015

This book sang to the part of me that fervently wishes live in a cabin in the forest, preferably a tree house, although through reading this I was reminded of the charm of hobbit houses. (The owner of the hobbit house featured in this book awoke to the sound of deer treading softly across his roof. Yes, this please.) Either way, I shall grow a mountain hermit beard and speak to the woodland animals in typical Snow White fashion. One day!

The photographs were dreamy and I often felt transported to This book sang to the part of me that fervently wishes live in a cabin in the forest, preferably a tree house, although through reading this I was reminded of the charm of hobbit houses. (The owner of the hobbit house featured in this book awoke to the sound of deer treading softly across his roof. Yes, this please.) Either way, I shall grow a mountain hermit beard and speak to the woodland animals in typical Snow White fashion. One day!

The photographs were dreamy and I often felt transported to misty, hidden, and sometimes forgotten structures all over the world. The interviews with builders were particularly inspirational, as many of them harbored a, "Why not?" attitude, despite often starting out with little carpentry experience. In a society where we tend to pay others to take care of life's necessities, it must be nice to pour your heart into something, stand back, and proclaim, "I built that." ...more

4

May 23, 2019

Beyond the eye-catching name, there's a lot to love in this book. Big, full color photographs and inspirational passages dedicated to life outside the hustle and bustle. I look through this every time I wanna relax and get that camping vibe going, without all the mosquito bites.

4

Apr 29, 2016

Quotable:
“There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has even been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way.” -Christopher Alexander

That December, Sam and Dave managed to gather an impromptu group of five or six friends to help them raise the first bents. “We always try to time it so it’s appropriate to Quotable:
“There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has even been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way.” -Christopher Alexander

That December, Sam and Dave managed to gather an impromptu group of five or six friends to help them raise the first bents. “We always try to time it so it’s appropriate to have a beer afterwards,” Dave says. “Otherwise you’re not gonna get anyone to help you.”

Inspired, in part, by Harlan Hubbard’s book Payne Hollow, about living a simpler life in a hand-built home, he believed that stripping away modern comforts and living more simply in nature would lead to a more spiritually and creatively fulfilling life.
...more

4

Aug 23, 2016

Many beautiful photos and inspirational stories of cabins and other small dwellings in remote places. However, it also includes some photos that are clearly the shacks or hovels of extremely poor people, which was a bit disturbing in a collection that's obviously based around urban hipsters with disposable income. While those examples were luckily few, it did gave this book a bit of a stench of poverty tourism. Also, the description of the book as "created by a group of friends who preserve 55 Many beautiful photos and inspirational stories of cabins and other small dwellings in remote places. However, it also includes some photos that are clearly the shacks or hovels of extremely poor people, which was a bit disturbing in a collection that's obviously based around urban hipsters with disposable income. While those examples were luckily few, it did gave this book a bit of a stench of poverty tourism. Also, the description of the book as "created by a group of friends who preserve 55 acres of hidden forest in Upstate New York..." is a bit ridiculous. It's not preserving forest to build a whole bunch of cabins on a plot of forest. Clearly that's better than tract homes or something like that, but that wasn't the alternative, the alternative was likely to leave it alone. ...more

4

Jan 26, 2018

Originally got this and thought it was a coffee table book. Nothing more than eye candy. But I later found out that there were actual stories in there and read through 'em, nine in total. Each one is supposed to be about a different type of cabin build (e.g. reclaims, from scratch, geometric, treehouse) but the form ain't all that important. The stories are more about people deciding they're going to do a project and then following through with that project. In any case, they're more or less Originally got this and thought it was a coffee table book. Nothing more than eye candy. But I later found out that there were actual stories in there and read through 'em, nine in total. Each one is supposed to be about a different type of cabin build (e.g. reclaims, from scratch, geometric, treehouse) but the form ain't all that important. The stories are more about people deciding they're going to do a project and then following through with that project. In any case, they're more or less there to put some structure behind all the gorgeous inspiring pictures in the book, and as far as that goes they do their jobs well.

Inspiring. Gives me ideas for what to do with the next up-and-coming decade of my life. ...more

4

Nov 26, 2015

I figured this would be a random sampling of images collected from the Cabin Porn tumblr. Luckily, they went a step further and provided backstories for half a dozen structures with varying purposes.

Alex and I started with some mild eye-rolling directed at the hipster ideals (especially with the author's group... it probably hits close to home since we like nature so much), but in the end I enjoyed the different stories that came after the author's intro. There was a good mix of younger, modern I figured this would be a random sampling of images collected from the Cabin Porn tumblr. Luckily, they went a step further and provided backstories for half a dozen structures with varying purposes.

Alex and I started with some mild eye-rolling directed at the hipster ideals (especially with the author's group... it probably hits close to home since we like nature so much), but in the end I enjoyed the different stories that came after the author's intro. There was a good mix of younger, modern millennials and older, legit folks building homesteads. Some where more appealing than others, but every story was interesting.

Alex had one complaint: the author misused the word 'deciduous' in the section about Idaho. ...more

5

Dec 26, 2015

Visually this book is a total treat with pages and pages of beautiful landscapes interwoven with the stories of people building cabins, homes and huts in amazing places. Each chapter focuses on the story of building in a particular style or landscape followed by an archive chapter of similar structures. It is my dream to build a home that is ecological, sits lightly on the earth and reuses materials (and is as cheap as possible) and is sufficient for my needs and whoever lives with me, but no Visually this book is a total treat with pages and pages of beautiful landscapes interwoven with the stories of people building cabins, homes and huts in amazing places. Each chapter focuses on the story of building in a particular style or landscape followed by an archive chapter of similar structures. It is my dream to build a home that is ecological, sits lightly on the earth and reuses materials (and is as cheap as possible) and is sufficient for my needs and whoever lives with me, but no more than that. This book provides thought and inspiration for my dream and is a book I will return to frequently. I love it! ...more

5

Oct 20, 2015

Cabin Porn began as an online collection of photos to inspire a group of friends embarking on homebuilding. Readers around the world submitted shots of various structures to get ideas and brainstorm. The snapshots are mainly of exteriors, and many are tucked away in nature's nooks and crannies. Some of the more oddball structures include a renovated grain silo, and an underground bunker built into a hillside. Rustic charm is illustrated throughout, and if you're looking for inspiration for Cabin Porn began as an online collection of photos to inspire a group of friends embarking on homebuilding. Readers around the world submitted shots of various structures to get ideas and brainstorm. The snapshots are mainly of exteriors, and many are tucked away in nature's nooks and crannies. Some of the more oddball structures include a renovated grain silo, and an underground bunker built into a hillside. Rustic charm is illustrated throughout, and if you're looking for inspiration for solitude this is it. Time to start saving up the cabin fund. ...more

4

Nov 18, 2015

Like many, I balk at affording, maintaining or even aspiring to live in the endless fields of cookie cutter suburban conformity where 2000 square feet is considered a small house and servitude to perpetual debt an obligation. This book features stories of people who have taken a different road. Interspersed with photos of different iterations of small places out of the way that illustrate how less can be more. While the book is great, there is a companion website that has many more photos of Like many, I balk at affording, maintaining or even aspiring to live in the endless fields of cookie cutter suburban conformity where 2000 square feet is considered a small house and servitude to perpetual debt an obligation. This book features stories of people who have taken a different road. Interspersed with photos of different iterations of small places out of the way that illustrate how less can be more. While the book is great, there is a companion website that has many more photos of cabins from every corner of the world http://cabinporn.com ...more

4

Mar 01, 2019

Well, now I am inspired. What a great concept for a book! I loved the in-depth "case studies" as well as the archives showing further examples. My only desire would have been to have more in-depth stories from other countries not just the US though I do understand that since the authors live in the US, it would make sense that they would accumulate more local stories and could more easily go in-depth. But now I want more stories and from around the world - I need to live vicariously through all Well, now I am inspired. What a great concept for a book! I loved the in-depth "case studies" as well as the archives showing further examples. My only desire would have been to have more in-depth stories from other countries not just the US though I do understand that since the authors live in the US, it would make sense that they would accumulate more local stories and could more easily go in-depth. But now I want more stories and from around the world - I need to live vicariously through all these other people in their quiet places. Book number 2 thru? ...more