Cuddle up in this cozy little Pritchard Island cottage

South Seattle’s Pritchard Island used to be a literal island—that is, until the ship canal opened and drained Lake Washington’s water level by about nine feet. Now, it’s part of Seattle’s Lake Washington shoreline, largely occupied by the Pritchard Island Beach park, Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, and Beer Shiva Park, but a neighborhood of a few secluded homes peek over the lake on the other side of the marsh.

This little studio cottage, first built in 1946, is one of them. While the $549,000 price tag would probably be the same if it were just vacant land—it’s one lot back from Lake Washington, tucked into a hillside for a massive and up-close lake view—the home itself is an adorable bonus. At just 400 square feet, it has the feel of a cozy beach house, a perfect launching point for fair-weather adventures and a very hygge vibe for windy waterfront days.

That size, unsurprisingly, doesn’t hold a whole lot of stuff, but what is there is built for a beach vacation—fittingly, since it has functioned as a vacation rental for a while. A fold-out bed saves a little space, and a wood stove helps provide warmth. A full kitchen and breakfast bar fit storage and function into a relatively small footprint.

Then, of course, there’s the lake, visible from both the kitchen and the bathroom but best-viewed from a back patio perched high enough to see past the more waterfront neighbors.

• 8416B Island Dr S, Seattle, Washington [The Cascade Team]