Home Inspiration: Tree Houses

Summer is here in London! Hooray!

We want to build a treehouse in the back garden for the boys. I’ve been filled with ideas looking at these summer tree homes and grand designs. There’s nothing like being surrounded by nature, amongst the peace and quiet.

My ultimate dream would be this Nendo Bird Apartment (pictured above) which can house up to 78 nesting birds which visitors can observe. It’s in the middle of a forest in Komoro City, Japan.

I love the shapes in these inventive prototype structures by Worapong Manupipatpong.

Tree hotel in Sweden is 7 individually designed contemporary lodges high up in the tall pine trees. These cabins are stylish and eco-friendly and have epic views of the surroundings. There’s even one called Bird’s Nest made of foraged branches.

Terunobu Fujimori and London-based, Japanese architect Takeshi Hayatsu have created an inhabitable charred-timber roofed treehouse (last pic on the right). It looks so beautiful in the spring, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Charring the wood is a traditional technique that actually protects the wood against rain, rot, and insects for at least 80 years.

Practical interiors are something I’d definitely consider for my dream treehouse, decorated with a Donna Wilson Woolywood blanket and cushions (of course!).  I’ve been looking at rustic cabins and I love the utilitarian wooden interior of Inshriach Bothy in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. It’s not a treehouse but a small cabin. Used for artist residencies with can be hired for a season.