Where does Anthony Russo—who co-directed with his brother four Marvel movies, including the second highest-grossing movie of all time, Avengers: Endgame—go to decompress? Into the wilds of Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, where his 1900s cabin awaits with the promise of off-the-grid solitude, Thanos-style.
Russo’s stone-clad retreat was originally built as part of the U.S. Forest Services’ program to promote responsible land use. The sought-after director was captivated by the idea of having a remote place to escape to, away from the constant hum of cell phone alerts and the complexities of modern life. But while he was more than willing to rough it, he preferred to do it in style. Enter Commune Design, whose work for the Ace Hotels had caught his eye, he told AD in an interview.
The footprint of the structure measures just 600 square feet, so one would be forgiven for assuming this must have been a small and fast project for Commune. Building and renovating in an isolated area accessible only by a canyon trail, though, meant that everything had to be brought in by foot, either via a hand-built wheel barrel or a pack mule. “We started the project in fall 2017,” Steven Johanknecht of Commune tells us. “Most of it was completed by fall 2019.”
Yes, as of writing, the cabin is still a work in progress; the storage and shower sheds aren’t quite completed yet. But thankfully, Johanknecht’s client knows a thing or two about complex projects.
Photography by Stephen Kent Johnson, courtesy of Commune Design.
![the cabin is perched along a sque boulder laden stream. the exterior remains u 17](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-exterior-733x977.jpg)
![\2\20;the solid white oak dutch door is new, and we worked with van cron 18](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-front-door-733x977.jpg)
![the firm cites swedish and french chalets as well as japanese and shaker design 19](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-733x489.jpg)
![both the knotty cedar ceiling and the reclaimed oak floors are new, as are all 20](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-3-733x977.jpg)
![in the living room, a vintage børge mogensen daybed (in original fabric!) 21](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-2-733x977.jpg)
![commune commissioned an artisan to build this gingko marquetry armoire, constru 22](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-armoire-733x977.jpg)
![a ladder from the kitchen leads to a sleep loft, which features a ceiling cover 23](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-sleep-loft-733x489.jpg)
![concrete floors take over in in the kitchen. all the walls inside are coated wi 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-dining-733x977.jpg)
![note the old fashioned crank phone, which connects the house only to neighborin 25](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-phone-733x977.jpg)
![a small but efficient kitchen. electricity comes from truck batteries, in a sep 26](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-kitchen-733x977.jpg)
![it\2\17;s all about the details. finger joinery turns kitchen cabinets i 27](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-kitchen2-733x977.jpg)
![this may be the most charming outhouse with a composting toilet ever. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-outhouse-733x977.jpg)
![the canyon trail to the cabin. 29](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/commune-design-santa-anita-cabin-anthony-russo-trail-733x977.jpg)
For more off-the-grid designs, see:
- Hygge in Ohio: An Architect’s Scandi-Inspired Off-the-Grid Hut
- An Off-the-Grid Retreat Designed as ‘a Piece of Furniture with Everything Built In’
- Unplugged: A Young Couple’s DIY, Totally Off-the-Grid Cabin in the New Hampshire Woods
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