There's a Scottish company called "Treasured Dreams" that builds tree houses and retreats that are the stuff of storybooks and wishful thinking. Designed by Gordon Brown, these treehouses are not (just) for kids but are functional spaces to escape to and entertain in (for a price of course).
From their website:
After a severe lighting strike destroyed the largest limb of a 500 year old Cedar tree, the owner was looking for an interesting way to fill the sizeable gap that remained. Our solution was to create a stunning and unique structure that could be used as a fantasy Treehouse for children, but which could also keep the adults thoroughly entertained.
Standing at the end of a long driveway on a grand Scottish estate in Fife, this imposing Treehouse stands at over 45 feet tall, with the large natural Cedar shingle roof blending in not only with it's surroundings, but also with the copper clad fairytale turrets.
Sunlight streams through the stained glass windows and doors - the top floor being a secluded space reached by a ladder making it an ideal place for an exciting sleepover.
Across a suspended bridge sits a large treedeck under the shelter of an attractive Copper beech.
The company has just put out a book on (their) tree houses in the UK and been profiled on the Scottish BBC news.
From the History tab on their blog:Many famous people have built Treehouses; John Lennon had one overlooking Strawberry Fields Orphanage and Winston Churchill constructed a Treehouse twenty feet up a Lime Tree at his home.There are many more interesting tree house facts to read on the blog, showing just how fabulous an idea people, through many ages, have considered tree houses to be.
‘Treehouses seem to fascinate everyone, children think they’re a makebelieve land, men view them as adventurous and women as romantic.""Treasured Dreams" has just expanded, opening a Southern office in Birmingham and also into another niche market: making 'Escape Lodges' for hotels. While not as lofty, are treasured retreats now highly sought after by couples for a romantic getaway.
I just wish they were local...
NOTE: Gordon Brown and his Treehouses are also on Twitter. You can read his updates and follow him here.
