Hocking Overlook is a modern, site-specific retreat set deep within the forested slopes of Hocking Hills. Designed as a cluster of low, quiet pavilions, the home works with the land’s natural terraces to create sheltered outdoor rooms and long, filtered views through the trees.
The site sits deep within the forested slopes of Hocking Hills — mature oaks, filtered light, and soft understory vegetation shape the experience.
Approached through the trees, the home settles low into the hillside, a quiet presence shaped by topography, light, and the slow rhythms of the forest.
Rather than a single mass, the home is shaped as a cluster of pavilions—a modern interpretation of camp. Each pavilion supports a distinct function for cooking, gathering, and retreating, while glass connectors transition between them.
Inside, warm wood and stone create a grounded, tactile atmosphere. Floor-to-ceiling glass brings the forest close, softening the threshold between interior and exterior while gathering daylight deep into the rooms.
Inside, warm wood and stone create a grounded, tactile atmosphere. Floor-to-ceiling glass brings the forest close, softening the threshold between interior and exterior while gathering daylight deep into the rooms.
Morning light settles beneath the cantilevers and traces the rise of the rooflines as they reach toward the trees. Deep overhangs shape sheltered outdoor rooms and soften the home’s presence within the landscape.
Morning light settles beneath the cantilevers and traces the rise of the rooflines as they reach toward the trees. Deep overhangs shape sheltered outdoor rooms and soften the home’s presence within the landscape.
Outdoor rooms and terraces extend the life of the home outward, creating gentle transitions between interior spaces and the surrounding forest. Nestled into the hillside, these intimate places for coffee, reading, or watching fog move through the trees invite moments of pause and reflection, letting nature set the pace of the day.
Hocking Overlook is a refuge—a modern camp rooted in nature, designed to wear in, not out.
Hocking Overlook
Hocking Overlook is a modern forest retreat shaped by the spirit of camp: a place created for connection, simplicity, and pause. Nestled into the wooded slopes of Hocking Hills, the home feels as though it has always belonged to the land. Green roofs extend the forest floor, stone walls anchor the structure into the hillside, and glass opens it to the trees, sky, and shifting light.
The architecture moves quietly, balancing strength and softness. Deep overhangs and cantilevered rooflines create shelter, while natural light filters through the spaces like moving leaves. Each material—local stone, thermally modified wood, weathered metal—was chosen for its honesty and ability to age gracefully. Over time, the home will settle deeper into its surroundings, becoming part of the landscape’s rhythm.
Inside, the mood is elevated but unpretentious: warm, grounded, and confident in its restraint. A central courtyard offers a moment of stillness between pavilions, while the hearth draws people together at the center of the home. The palette is tactile and timeless—the coolness of stone, the warmth of wood, the quiet reflectivity of glass.
More than a house, Hocking Overlook is a refuge — a place to slow down, to gather, and to feel closely connected to the land.
A modern camp rooted in nature, designed to wear in, not out.
