Shadow Peak A-Frame

Iconic American Cabin as Beach House

Its interior wood angles brightened by oversized picture windows and vivid white paint with nautical blue angling timbers, this updated A-frame has seen its original mid-century coziness made over for sophisticated 21st-century living.

Anchoring the sharp triangle’s surprisingly bright, open-plan living room is a dramatic floating-steel staircase that spirals upward. Generous picture windows covering the facade spotlight the stairs, and an adjacent kitchen and dining room are tucked alongside or behind its twisting form. The home’s living area is in front of the spiral, with a sectional sofa warmed by a cozy Morsø wood-burning stove. A queen bedroom and bathroom occupy the space behind the dining room and, in classic mid-century modern styling, a “sunken” wing added to the “A” offers a den/TV room and a second queen bedroom and bathroom, plus a laundry zone.

Head up the spiral stairs for a landing area-turned-office with an adjacent half bathroom and the property’s third queen bedroom, tucked under the cabin’s sharp upper eaves, with views of Neahkahnie Mountain.

There’s patio space out front and an outdoor fire pit for a post-beachcombing campfire vibe.

Around

This A-frame is in a residential area near Manzanita Beach in the town of Manzanita, along Oregon’s north coast. It's a two- to three-minute walk to Manzanita Beach and to town. One in a trio of scenic historic villages nestled around the Nehalem River and Bay, Manzanita joins Wheeler and Nehalem within Oregon’s northernmost Tillamook County along the Pacific Ocean in the Cascade Headlands. The area is famed for its miles of undeveloped beaches and protected wetlands, a county with significant scenic landscapes protected by the state and the Nature Conservancy. Lush temperate rainforests flank the coastline, including the Siuslaw National Forest and the Cascade network, home to a multitude of protected wildlife. Tillamook County’s towns are small and quaint, mostly quiet in the off season. The communities tend to swell with summer activity and outdoor recreation seekers as soon as spring sets in, and given their location 90 miles west of Portland, the area is a great weekender destination for urban folk seeking rest and relaxation along one of the West’s best-protected coastlines.

Location

Manzanita, Oregon, US. Nearest airport: Portland (100 miles)

Best time to visit

Year round, with varied seasonal opportunities