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A cottage in a box? See it to believe it at IDS2019 this weekend.

The 670-sq.-ft. Great Lakes Cabin, built in a modular “kit-of-parts” system and shipped in a flat-pack, will make its debut as this year’s Interior Design Show concept house. It will be open for visitors to tour at the show on Jan. 19 and 20

“You assemble it almost like big blocks, or LEGO,” says Wilson Edgar who, with architect Michael Leckie, co-founded the Backcountry Hut Company in British Columbia in 2015. The model on display this weekend — which includes a loft sleeping area, bathroom and covered deck — is the company’s first to be flatpacked, and shipped.

“When it comes together, it’s extremely durable and has an extremely long lifespan.

The inspiration for the company’s designs, says Leckie, was to “break the myth” that custom architecture has to be highly expensive. It also allows buyers involvement in the design and build process of their projects.

“When you say ‘a flat-pack system that provides architecture, like a piece of Ikea furniture’ people immediately understand what you’re talking about,” he adds.

Ideas abound at IDS2019 as exhibitors showcase their cutting-edge interior designs

Manufactured in Courtenay, B.C., the three cabin models — including the Alpine Hut and the Surf Hut — are made from Douglas fir and recycled metal cladding. The 206-sq.-ft. base model, priced to start at $150 a sq. ft., comes with four posts, four beams and a roof. From there, the cabins can be customized for buyers.

“We don’t endeavour to be the cheapest prefab system in any way. Ours is a very high-quality, enduring product and we are building for permanence,” says Leckie of the structures. He notes that disposability doesn’t resonate with architects, and so their huts are very much designed to last.

“We were very sensitive towards the environment,” adds company co-founder Edgar. “So all parts of the hut and shell system are 100 per cent recyclable.”

Though IDS is the official launch of the Great Lakes cabin, the company has already scheduled five projects for this Summer, in Colorado, Oregon, Ontario, and B.C.

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