Rupert McKelvie's life has been shaped by nature, from his childhood spent exploring the English countryside to his current venture, Out of The Valley (OOTV), which creates outdoor cabins and saunas in natural, sustainable materials. The project started as a practical labour of love; his very first Oak cabin became his home, built in a deep valley on the edge of Dartmoor, giving the newfound architecture practise its rightful name. After gaining traction at London Design Week, it wasn't long before people around him felt a resonation for the same off-grid lifestyle, set against a backdrop of rural expanse.
His cabins today are still consciously designed and crafted, and wooden prefabricated saunas look out across rolling forests and wild landscapes. We speak on a crisp February morning, considering locality, seasonality and the longing for a life with less ‘stuff’.
