Lumen Nature Retreat

Minimalistic A-frames have everything you need and nothing you don’t — a luxurious bed, smokeless firepit and comfy chairs under the stars. Photo by Jon Kreye

A six-month road trip from Boston to Argentina was the impetus for one of New Hampshire’s newest and most inspired luxury camping sites, Lumen Nature Retreat in North Woodstock.

“We bought a 20-year-old Land Cruiser, put a tent on the roof and headed south,” says Boris Mordkovich, sharing the details of his and his wife Susan Zhao’s novel honeymoon. “Neither one of us had done much camping in the past, but it was fantastic. When we came back, that idea stayed with us, and because we have a little bit of a hospitality background and have built and run some other properties, eventually it led to this.”

Lumen provides an experience as far from scout-camp, pup-tent living as you can get in a serene wooded setting beside a babbling brook. Invited to spend a night last summer, I was enchanted by the combination of high design and rustic simplicity, for which the term glamping falls short.

“We think of ourselves as a landscape hotel,” says Mordkovich about the luxurious, everything-is-included Nordic cabins, A-frame tents and safari tents nestled on 20 acres in the heart of the White Mountains. “The units are part of the landscape; they fit in without dominating.” Two-thirds of the sites face either the brook or a pond.

Hygge and lykke cabins, the top tier of accommodations at Lumen Nature Retreat, were custom designed to offer maximum comfort in a minimum of space. A wall-size window offers a view of the brook and lets daylight stream in, bouncing off blond wood walls. Photo by Image Ten Photography

While all the options for accommodations are thoughtfully appointed and comfortable, the lykke and hygge Nordic cabins are a tour de force in terms of providing the cachet of custom design and ease of living within a 150-foot-square space.

“Small details make a big difference,” says Zhao, who collaborated with the cabin-on-wheels manufacturer on the interior design of Lumen’s units. She wanted to achieve a “Nordic, clean” look, and asked herself, “How do you do homey, but not busy?” The experience she and her husband had living on a boat in Boston Harbor gave her a few ideas for the cabins, including how to capitalize on different interior elevations. By necessity (because of the wheel arches) the couch area is higher than the rest of the space. Zhao, who turned this quirk into an asset, says this “gives the space a Japanese tearoom effect.”

Hygge and lykke cabins, the top tier of accommodations at Lumen Nature Retreat, were custom designed to offer maximum comfort in a minimum of space. A wall-size window offers a view of the brook and lets daylight stream in, bouncing off blond wood walls. Photo by Image Ten Photography

Sunlight from wall-size windows bounces off blond wood veneer walls and, in the hygge cabins, rays also stream in through a skylight in the loft area. West Elm, Pottery Barn, Burrows and Article were among Zhao’s favorite sources for furniture and accessories, and each cabin has a ventless biofuel fireplace from French company Le Feu that looks like a piece of contemporary art. Sleek, too, are the enamel dishes and Fellow Stagg electric kettle for pour-over coffee or tea. A convection cooktop and mini fridge round out the efficiently equipped kitchen.

This barrel sauna with a panoramic view on the pond is one of two saunas available to enjoy
at Lumen. Reserve a time slot upon booking to enjoy private sauna time. Photo by Susan Zhao

Each remarkably private, all-electric campsite has its own premium smokeless firepit, Adirondack chairs and a picnic table, and dining out nearby is also an option. After dinner, you may choose to relax in one of two saunas on-site — reserve a time slot upon booking to enjoy soaking sans company.

Lumen’s accommodations are so attractive and well thought out that even the absence of running water in the units is a minor inconvenience. Especially when within a two- to five-minute walk of every site sits a newly renovated, climate-controlled bathhouse that includes hot showers, brand-name toiletries and a designer feel.

On their road-trip honeymoon, Mordkovich and Zhao were especially captivated by the Bolivian salt flats. A world away at Lumen, their goal is to recreate the magic closer to home using different ingredients.

Lumen Nature Retreat 
603-764-7244
stayatlumen.com