London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

This Tiny Backyard Cabin Is Inspired by Space Capsule Design

This Tiny Backyard Cabin Is Inspired by Space Capsule Design

Hello Wood’s Workstation Cabin is a striking, timber-clad pod that can serve as a workspace, guest bedroom, or cozy lounge.

These days, more and more of us are working from home-and while lockdowns have started to lift across the world, there’s an increased interest in continued flexible working. As a result, there’s also a growing desire for home offices-or just private spaces to escape to.

The Workstation Cabin by Hungarian architecture studio Hello Wood is a sculptural timber pod inspired by the design of space capsules. It’s intended to sit in a garden or other outdoor area, and it can be configured as a fully powered workspace and conference room-or as a convenient guest bedroom or cozy lounge.



"We imagined how six people would use the space and developed the shape accordingly," says Hello Wood co-founder Dávid Ráday. "We took inspiration from the design of space capsules, and the cabin was refined step by step before reaching its final form."

"We started designing the Workstation Cabin a few months before the lockdown," says Hello Wood co-founder Dávid Ráday. "Although there had been a need for more separate meeting rooms before the pandemic, there is now a rapidly growing demand for isolated work possibilities."



The design team wanted to create a cabin that felt connected to nature, both in the exterior and interior. The organic form sits easily in the landscape, while large windows invite garden views inside.

Hello Wood began in 2010 as an art camp for architecture and design students, before developing into an educational platform that runs a summer school and architecture festival, as well as exhibitions and conferences. The creative studio emerged in 2013, and it specializes in designing and building custom, temporary public installations and unique cabins. "Our main focus this year is to design new cabins while expanding our boundaries in wooden architecture," says Ráday-an aim that is readily met by the Workstation Cabin.



The Workstation Cabin’s frame structure is composed of wooden sandwich panels, and it’s clad in weatherproof timber. Depending on client wishes, the cabins can also be built using composite, aluminum, or COR-TEN steel cladding.

The 91 square foot cabin was developed over the course of two months, and it was initially intended to be a conference room that could comfortably host six people. During development, the team realized it could also easily accommodate a double mattress, enabling it to become a flexible, multipurpose space.



To enable a productive work environment, the cabins are fully equipped with power, air conditioning, heating, and internet connection.



The desk can be removed to make space for a single or double mattress, transforming the interior into a guest bedroom or private lounge area.

"It was designed for two groups of people," says Ráday. "Firstly, companies seeking to offer a unique meeting room experience for clients-and to give their employees the opportunity to work in a private space, and secondly, individuals wanting a private backyard office that can double as a guest bedroom."



The cabin can also be used as a cozy private lounge space, away from a main house. Although the space is small, large windows and a glass door allow the cabin to visually connect to the surrounding landscape, making it feel larger than its 91-square-foot interior.

The 15-sided cabin has an outdoor "terrace" formed by two hexagonal platforms, and it’s accessed via a small stair that leads to a glass door. The irregular form complements the landscape, and can be read as an intriguing sculptural installation that presents a different face from every angle.



The Workstation Cabin was designed using CAD, and the elements are precision cut using a CNC machine. The pod is delivered fully assembled and lifted onto the site using a crane, so installation takes only a few days. Sitting on small stilts-that are attached to ground screws-the cabin almost appears to have touched down from outer space.

"The goal was to make the cabin communicate more with the natural environment than the built one," says Ráday. "This way, the cabins have a sculptural, installation-like feeling to them. I like to compare the cabin to the bodywork of cars, as the form is at least as important as the function."



A small exterior deck is formed from two hexagonal platforms. This creates a dry outdoor space that can be utilized in conjunction with the interior space, or as a space for entertaining in the garden.

Inside, the irregular interior volume expands out from the tiny footprint, creating a feeling of spaciousness. The interior is clad in FSC Scots pine timber, and two windows and a skylight allow natural light to fill the space. The only fixed object is the built-in bench. A simple desk allows the cabin to function as a workspace or meeting room, or the desk can be removed and replaced by a mattress or futon.



The timber interior is punctuated by three glazed panels-two windows and a skylight-that allow ample natural light into the space and avoid the interior feeling claustrophobic.

"Thanks to the huge glass windows, you feel close to nature while sitting in the cabin," says Ráday. "The unique shape of the cabin also provides an exciting experience-there are no separate walls and roof, which gives it a special feeling. It’s definitely not your regular meeting room."



Special attention was paid to how the panels fit together to ensure the cabin is watertight and can cope with both cold winters and warm summers. The shape of the panels has been optimized to create minimal waste when cutting the material. "It was a very long, but very rewarding process," says Hello Wood co-founder Dávid Ráday.

The main challenge was creating a completely waterproof shell in such an irregular shape, reveals Ráday. As a result, special intersections had to be designed, and the material had to be treated to protect it against rain and snow. The panels have been CNC machined to ensure a precise fit. "There’s no question as to whether it was worth it or not when it comes to quality in our projects," says Ráday.



"The playful Workstation cabin is the ideal, private spot for work and meetings, but it can also function as a guest room or a playroom for the kids, and it is the perfect refuge should you need a tranquil place to relax or immerse yourself in creativity," says Hello Wood co-founder Dávid Ráday.

The team describes the process of designing and building the Workstation Cabin (and seamlessly integrating the utilities into the tiny space) as a mixture of product design and architecture. "It’s the love child of design and architecture-it transcends the conventional cube shap,e and is more like a piece of art that blends into the landscape," says Ráday. "We’re really proud to have created a modular, prefab cabin that can be installed almost anywhere and that functions perfectly."



Elevations of Workstation Cabin by Hello Wood, showing how each angle presents a completely different face.



Section of Workstation Cabin by Hello Wood



Section of Workstation Cabin by Hello Wood



Floor plan of Workstation Cabin by Hello Wood

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×