A 160 Square Foot House In The Woods Where Guests Can Come And Do Absolutely Nothing
Ever dreamed of taking a vacation but it's too time consuming, too costly, too stressful... In fact, vacations these days have become not only another source of work, but almost a thing of the past: Every year 557 million vacation days go unused. The founders of Getaway House have a mission to change that with the “anti-vacation.”
There's no tropical destination, no extravagant resort, no extensive list of things to do, places to visit, things to see... The Getaway House is a 160 square foot minimal, modern cabin located in the woods, one to two hours away from major cities – Boston and NYC for now – where guests don't do anything. And they are loving it.
“Our hope nobody would sign up and we would use the cabins for ourselves. It turns out people love it,” said co-founder Pete Davis, who started up Getaway House with Jon Staff. “It's been sold out. We've had to move to new cities because of the excitement. There's so much demand. Some people have been waiting for something like this. Some people were dragged along and thought they wouldn't like it, but ended up loving it. Who would have thought a vacation could be about nothing?”
All types of people have enjoyed their stay at the Getaway House, from teenagers who live tiny house shows, roommates from college who want to get away for one last hoorah, couples on their anniversaries, young professionals, “down home folks who just love the woods,” and elderly people who want to relax... But one thing remains a constant: All of the guests do nothing. Literally nothing.
When most people think of vacations they think of non-stop sight-seeing, traveling, planning... Museums, restaurants, tours – sometimes people on vacation never slow down. The Getaway House isn't about things to do, things to see... It's about “discovering what you already have,” said Davis.
He continued: “Vacations have become another piece of work. Strip it all away. Take time to remember you, remember your relationships... A lot of of the joy of vacation isn't the activity and the sights – it's being with the people you love and getting some time away and being on your retreat and having a campfire. These are things that are all around you and we want to remind people that it's there. Maybe the first hour without a cell phone is hard. But after a while you remember things and become the true person that you are. That's the whole idea.”
No cell phone? The Getaway House has a cell phone lock box, meant for people to store away their cell phones. There's also a fire pit and picnic table on the land (“The idea is to lock away your cell phone and play your guitar, hang out by the fire, play cards, get your Parcheesi on...”) but not much else.
There's a bed, a bathroom with a shower, a kitchen with two stove tops to cook breakfast on and a sink. There's a table where guests can eat or play cards. While the Getaway House isn't rustic at all, it's still meant to be minimal, to get people away from the city and in tune with the nature that surrounds them. Clever designers, like Emily Margulies and Rachel Moranis (graduates of the Harvard Graduate School of Design), think of ways to fit all the necessities into such a small space.
One of the Getaway House models is the Clara (all of the cabins are named after the founders' grandparents), a bigger model that can fit up to five people. The bed is lifted up quite high to make room for a water tank beneath it. Said Davis: “We made the Clara design very fun – there are different steps leading up to the bed, which you can hang out on. There's a loft, which allows more spaces as well. Things have multiple purposes. It's like Tetris.”
The minimalist, “non kitchy” design is primarily made of wood and other natural materials, appearing warm and bright. There are big windows, allowing guests to feel they are “one with nature,” while creating a modern, open and whimsical atmosphere.
The Getaway House cabins are inspired by the founders' love of the tiny house movement, which they've been “following since the beginning.” In an attempt to get in on the movement, Davis and Staff brainstormed ways to expand the amount of people who were able to experience what it's like to “live tiny.” Both Davis and Staff felt that smaller spaces allowed their lives to become bigger and richer.
Staff has lived in many “non-traditional dwellings,” including spending his summers on a boat on Lake Superior back in high school. During Staff's junior and senior year at Harvard, he founded a frozen yogurt shop and lived in the basement to save on rent. While the yogurt shop was under construction, Staff lived in an empty office on the third floor of a Harvard library, where he lived for over two years. Upon graduation, Staff moved into a 26 foot Airstream trailer. It's no surprise the tiny home movement was a passion of his.
Getaway House was founded in late 2014, when Staff and Davis started talking to other Harvard students about “developing fresh housing ideas for a new generation.” The Getaway House was launched in 2015. Their first Getaway House – Ovida outside of Boston – was sold out immediately.
“While Jon and I have both done start-ups before and have been working on projects our whole lives, we had never done something in hospitalities and nature. But it's something we both have a deep love for,” said Davis. “I have always had a dream to do something like this.”
Davis grew up right outside of Washington DC in northern Virginia. He is currently attending Harvard's law school and has always been into politics, but the Getaway House is another passion of his, since he has always loved the outdoors.
“I love the outdoors. I like writing,” he said. “That's one of my favorite activities. My favorite thing to do is go into the woods and read and write.”
While the Getaway House's are registered as RV's – they are pulled behind trailers – they are stationary. But they have the “spirit of RV's,” noted Davis. “It's that life of freedom. It lets you reconnect with family, reconnect as a couple, take some time to be alone... It doesn't matter about having a lot of stuff. It's about having good experiences.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Check Out:
Getaway House, where you can spend a night or two in your own private tiny house in the woods, waiting just close enough to let you escape in an instant but just far enough to guarantee a refreshing recharge.