How Do You Make a Small Berkshires Cabin a Warm Happy Place?

Architect: Joe the Architect. Builder: Steve Mauter Design and Construction. Interior Designer: Wolf in Sheep Design. Stylist: Matthew Gleason / Photo by Read McKendree

The Problem

When a couple purchased this property set amid 60 forested acres in the Berkshires, it consisted of a small cabin and a barn. “They really bought the home for the land,” says interior designer Alina Wolhardt. But the buyers didn’t just want to enjoy the majestic landscape in the warmer months; they wanted to be able to savor it in colder weather, too.

The Solution

After they’d lived in the cabin for a while, the time finally came for a renovation and expansion. That included the addition of a four-season screened porch off the kitchen and dining area where the homeowners could “have dinner or cocktails by the fire in the winter,” Wolhardt says. Overall, the room’s palette is “minimal, yet rich,” explains the designer, who clad the ceilings with white oak and used the Japanese wood-burning technique called shou sugi ban for the trim around the windows. Because the couple wanted to create a forested feel in the room itself, the team worked with floral designer Orly Khon to create a metal fixture from which faux plants were arranged around lights. “At night, the fern glows—it’s so unique,” says Wolhardt, noting that the homeowners also enjoy morning coffee on the porch and use it throughout the day. “It’s a very happy place.”

First published in the print edition of the February 2025 issue with the headline: “The Great Indoors.”