Treehouses Part II: 7 More Projects to Indulge Your Childhood Dreams

Following up on our post from last year “Treehouses to Indulge Your Childhood Dreams,” we revisit the topic with a fresh stock of treehouse designs. These houses range from dwellings to follies and all capture the drama of occupying the forests’ dense canopy. Drawing on the embedded association of the treehouse, the designs bring to life the youthful fantasy and magic of a treehouse escape. Floating on stilts or perched on trees, the atypical procession of arrival is a key element of these houses. Ladders, bridges, and staircases link the ground to these elevated buildings that have dislodged itself from the ground.

Limited by the structural and spatial constraints of a treehouse, the interiors emphasize compact and simplistic living. Also relating to the structural constraints, the projects featured here use light, frame wood construction. The light weight of wood makes it a practical choice for building off the ground, while also referencing the contextual forest site.

Let these treehouse designs whisk you away into a magical dream land of design.

Outlandia Fieldstation by Malcolm Fraser Architects, Glen Nevis, United Kingdom

This diminutive wood structure seems to float unsupported in a remote United Kingdom forest. Designed as an artist’s field station, the treehouse typology imbues the project with an air of retreat and removal from the worldly.

Treehouse by Sharon Davis Design, Garrison, N.Y., United States

This playhouse is programed exclusively for fun. Featuring a slide, a rope entrance, and a writing desk across two levels, this bucolic folly captures quintessential childhood play in the treehouse.

Tree House by Ravnikar Potokar Arhitekturni, Ljubljana, Slovenia

This treehouse was deliberately designed to steer away from traditional treehouse types (think little sheds and small houses). Taking on a more geometric, abstract shape, the goal of the design was to bring the children at play here to a space of imagination and creativity.

Tree Hotel by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, Harads, Sweden

This mirrored cube floats nearly invisibly above the forest floor. Accessed by a long delicate suspension bridge, the cube is a small hotel room.

Ecology of Color by Studio Weave, Dartford, United Kingdom

This open-air structure is reminiscent of a floating barn. It serves as a community space in a large park. The timber material ties the design to the surrounding woods, and the whimsically painted exterior enlivens the design.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabinsby HGA Architects and Engineers, Dakota County, Minn., United States

This dwelling is a small cabin in the forest outside of Minneapolis. The house’s approach consists of a small bridge.

Bird Apartmentby Nendo, Komoro, Japan

On one side of this tree house, there is an opening for one individual to enter the small space. On the other side of this house, the facade is punctured with a series of small holes that are for birds.