The college sweethearts behind Wanderwood Farm tasked an architect friend with helping them build two rentable, open-air shelters inspired by lean-tos along the Appalachian Trail.
The tiny, open sleeping shelters abut a stand of woods. Their open fronts frame views of the Wanderwood farm.
When Kelsey Gibbs and Matt Silverman first met at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, they hit it off over their shared love for the outdoors. After graduating, the couple moved downstate to Portland, where they worked in various jobs before deciding to spend some time abroad. In 2015, Matt and Kelsey headed to Scotland, where they worked at a bed-and-breakfast to gain experience in the hospitality industry.
“While we were gone, we hatched this plan to come back to Maine and find a piece of property where we could establish a farm and event venue,” Matt says. “A place where we could connect people to each other and the land through hospitality and farming.”
A multilayer curtain system provides privacy—with nets to keep mosquitos out—but according to Matt and Kelsey, leaving it open and falling asleep with the stars bright overhead is a dreamy experience.
Photo by Meredith Brockington
The couple returned to the United States in 2016, determined to combine their love of nature and community in an event venue and organic farm where they could host dinners, workshops, weddings, and art classes. Eventually, they found a 95-acre property in Nobleboro, Maine, outfitted with a barn from the 1850s, a 1920s farmhouse, and a pond.
The land checked all of Matt and Kelsey’s boxes—but it would need a fair amount of work. Once they closed on the acreage, they dubbed it Wanderwood and started rehabbing the barn into a large event space and the farmhouse into a rentable five-bedroom retreat. (Matt and Kelsey live in a small, original Sears cottage near the farmhouse.) “We’ve just been chipping away and honing ever since,” Matt says.
The tiny, open sleeping shelters abut a stand of trees, and their open fronts frame views of Wanderwood Farm.
Photo by Meredith Brockington
By 2024, Matt and Kelsey wanted to offer a lower-cost option for staying on-property that catered to couples or solo travelers with a sense of adventure. Armed with a $50,000 budget, the couple reached out to their friend Joanna Shaw, an architect and principal at Winkelman Architecture, to talk about possible designs.
“Originally, we had planned a bunch of little cabins dotted in the woods,” Kelsey says, “but after the pandemic hit, building costs rose a lot. We needed a place for more people to stay, and we needed to get the ball rolling, so we sat down with Shaw and our builder, Michael Alderson, and did a bunch of sketches of what these buildings could be.”
“We were brainstorming very broadly,” adds Shaw, “whether these would be tent platforms in the woods or beautifully curated cabins with all the amenities. I think it was Matt who said, ‘What about a lean-to?’ It’s more elevated than a tent platform, and it has this cozy embrace, yet it’s very open to nature.”
Inside, the back wall angles upward to create a built-in headboard. The furniture is all movable, and the two single beds can be combined to make a king-size sleeping arrangement.
Photo by Meredith Brockington
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: You Can Count the Stars From These $76K Tiny Cabins in Maine
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