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The Sea Containers
The Sea Containers is a cabin made from two oceangoing shipping containers, set in the forest above the North Fork of the Skykomish River in Index, Washington. Nick Pietsch, the geologist who designs every cabin at Index Cabins, left the roof as bare container, so rain on the steel is part of the stay.
What he added is where the craft shows: a shower lined in white marble and lava rock, a floating stair of glulam timber and steel, and light set into the walls.
HeraldNet and Seattle Refined have written about the cabin, and Sunset named Index Cabins a winner in its 2026 Travel Awards.
The Space
The plan is as plain as the material asks: one open room below for cooking and sitting, two bedrooms above. Between them runs the cabin's centerpiece, a floating stair of glulam timber and steel, lit with LEDs.
Light is treated as a material here. Sculptures of LED light are set into the walls, and skylights open the roof over the bed, so the trees are overhead by day and the stars by night. Some of the windows have no blinds at all.
The bathroom makes the strongest case for a geologist as designer. The steam shower is lined in white marble and lava rock, and one side of it is a floor-to-ceiling window onto the forest.
Practical: two queen bedrooms and a sofa bed, a kitchen, surround sound with a 65-inch screen, a hot tub on the roof and a private fire pit. The river is about 250 feet away, with a shared sauna and cold plunge near the water.
Who It's For
Friends or a family of up to six who want one cabin to share. Two queen bedrooms upstairs and a sofa bed below.
Design-minded travelers curious about what a shipping container can become. About 640 square feet, with stone, timber and light doing the work.
People who like weather. The roof is bare steel, so rain and snow are part of the sound of the place.
Why Locèlle Loves It
- Two containers, one house. Two shipping containers joined into a cabin with real bedrooms, a kitchen and a stair between them.
- Rain you can hear. The roof was left as bare container, so weather in the Cascades arrives as sound.
- Stone where you least expect it. A steam shower in white marble and lava rock, with a floor-to-ceiling window onto the trees.
- A stair worth a second look. Floating treads of glulam timber and steel, lit with LEDs.
- Light as a material. Sculptures of light set into the walls, and skylights over the bed.
- Designed by its owner. Nick Pietsch designs every cabin on the property himself, each to a different idea.
- Book Direct. Locèlle introduces you directly to the hosts, so you can book with them without added platform fees.
Designed by Nick Pietsch.
Steel outside, stone and steam inside
The Sea Containers keeps its steel roof and adds stone, timber and light beneath it. It is a small building with a great deal of care in it.
Nick Pietsch
Every detail tells a story.
Discover how this home was designed, curated, and brought to life—inside and out.
Where you’ll be
Index
,
Washington
,
United States
Neighborhood highlights
The Skykomish and the Index Town Wall. The cabin stands above the North Fork of the Skykomish River, near the Index Town Wall, a 1,000-foot granite cliff known to climbers. The Bridal Veil Falls trailhead is about five minutes by car, and Stevens Pass is about 20 minutes away for skiing.
The town of Index. Index is a short walk or ride down the road. Seattle is about an hour away. The town's general store keeps limited hours, so arrive stocked or use the cabin's grocery service.
Built from two containers, finished like a house
