Straw-Paneled Cabin

From a distinctive setting to carefully chosen pieces, our homes say a lot about who we are. The Welcome Home series is our chance to ask inspiring people how they created a space they love.

Christene Barberich, writer of the Substack A Tiny Apt. and founding editor of Refinery29, has long found beauty in small spaces. She and her husband, architect Kevin Baxter, recently completed a 650-square-foot straw-paneled cabin in upstate New York, which she calls “a tiny cathedral.”

Nearly everything inside is vintage or salvaged, including sidewalk finds that have been lovingly restored.

“They are a testament to saving something that still has so much life left in it,” she says.

Built from the ground up, the cabin reflects Christene’s evolving approach to home: personal, purposeful, and always full of possibility.

Formation Dining Table

$1,880

Form Bench

$720

Plane Dining Chair (Set of Two)

$890

Keep Stacking Storage System 2-Piece

$885

Formation Dining Table

How did you transition from Refinery29 to A Tiny Apt.?

After nearly 15 years of building that company, we sold it in 2019. I took a year to calibrate, honoring that very huge ending, and also trying to be present in my new beginning as a new mother. I began to see my home in new and unexpected ways. Everyday routines and rituals like making coffee in the morning or prepping our bedrooms at night became something I looked forward to and gleaned an almost absurd amount of pleasure from. My newsletter, A Tiny Apt., was a product of that time.

Tell us the story behind the cabin.

Kevin and I dreamed of living upstate before we even bought our apartment in Brooklyn. We'd been visiting Columbia County for a decade, so one summer, we rented our friends' farmhouse nearby. The day before we were supposed to go back to Brooklyn, we drove by a 1960s doctor's office for sale with a big blank canvas of mowed grass beside it. I said to Kevin, "Should we look at that?" And he slammed on the brakes. It seemed insane, but I believe that homes are like pets and partners. They show up when you're usually not looking. It was Kevin's idea to build a cabin out of straw panels before we started renovating the doctor's office.

How would you describe the feeling of the cabin in 3 words?

Sacred, modern, and cozy. Every phase of building the cabin has been beautiful and also terrifying. The choice to use straw panels and a poured concrete floor was all Kevin in an effort to make it as energy efficient and comfortable as possible.

Keep Stacking Storage System 4-Piece

$1,540

Field Stool

$310

Field Stool

What makes you feel relaxed in your cabin? 

Taking a hot bath nearly every day is non-negotiable for me. Even though the bathroom is tiny, Kevin was able to find a short but deep tub for soaking, which is divine when it's super cold outside.

What's your favorite piece of furniture in the cabin?

The Thonet-style vintage chairs I found at a yard sale for $5 each (not kidding!), artwork by our friend Anne Schaefer, and our Sundays Field Stools in red. We move them around constantly, and they make me happy whenever I see them.

Read Christene's substack A Tiny Apt. here.