A Svelte $79K Prefab Cabin Promises to Work as Well in Your Backyard as It Does in the Woods

UK studio Aylott & Van Tromp’s design aims to feel like a hotel suite, but the firm isn’t telling you what to do with it.

Text by

Laura Mauk

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Aylott & Van Tromp has some know-how when it comes to high-end design. The UK-based interior design and branding agency’s clients range from Hilton, for whom the firm "redesigned breakfast" (bright whites can be jarring early in the morning, so more warm tones), to a luxe Jiu Jitsu gym (dark hardwoods, mood lighting—this is serious stuff). Whatever’s being built, from the branding down to the materials, the vibe is luxe, the look a little Scandinavian.

Aylott & Van Tromp’s first built example of its Nokken modular cabin is designed like a hotel suite.

Same goes for its latest, a new prefab cabin the company developed from the ground up to sell to hoteliers interested in bite-sized additions to their properties, or creating entire resorts anew. Like Aylott & Van Tromp’s previous endeavor in prefab, another cabin designed for resorts in collaboration with UK firm Koto, the Nokken cabin is customizable down to the finishes and fixtures.

"We sculpted the cabins with ideals of individuality, adaptability, and efficiency in mind," says James Van Tromp, founder and director of the firm with his associate, Nathan Aylott.

Pale-toned European larch flooring and ceilings are juxtaposed with the dark-stained walls of the cabin, also in larch, creating dramatic interiors.

The headboard doubles as a dining area. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide ample natural light.

An expansive picture window in front of the bed frames views of the landscape.

The duo are making a bet on post-pandemic travel, specifically looking to capture a growing interest in "landscape hotels"—luxe accommodations somewhere serene, and likely with a great view. Anyone can purchase a single cabin, but Aylott & Van Tromp envisions clusters of them placed in remote settings to combine the experience of camping with the amenities found in a high-end hotel.

Like glamping, a stay in one would provide the tranquility of connecting with nature, but without having to rough it. Trade out the tent for a cabin, add the perks of a resort—a lake, a pool, or tennis courts, say—and the experience is much more chic.

The cabin’s interior walls match the exteriors in dark-stained European larch.

This Nokken is outfitted with black fixtures and finishes that match the stained larch.

Small reading lights are affixed to each side of the headboard.

Aylott and Van Tromp designed the Nokken to be flexible—"It can be used as a travel accommodation, a workspace, a retail element, a spa, a restaurant, or simply as a beautiful home," says Aylott—but the first built example functions like a hotel suite. Wrapped in perforated metal and European larch stained a deep-brown color, the rectangular prefab includes an open kitchen and living space, a bedroom, a bathroom, and wall-height windows to take in a view.

The large picture window in the bedroom area provides a strong connection with the outdoors.

The exterior's European larch siding offers simple, rich texture that ties to the cabin to the outdoors.

The modular cabin as resort accommodation isn’t a brand new concept. Moliving builds tiny prefab cabins on wheels that can similarly be arranged to create entire resorts. But Aylott & Van Tromp, a firm known for its soup to nuts services, plans on selling more than just the cabin. "We offer full-service integration," says Aylott. "So if a purchaser needs assistance for their business, whether it’s marketing, branding, management, or even recreational advice, we’re there."

As the Nokken catches on with hoteliers creating new resorts or adding to existing ones in destination settings, you can be, too.