14 Gorgeous Treehouses Built By Professional Architects

At one point or another, everyone fantasizes about scrapping the soul-crushing day-to-day for something more simple. And it's hard to imagine a more idyllic setup than a kickass modern treehouse designed by a professional. To get a taste of what that off-the-grid lifestyle might look like, get a load of these 14 architecturally impressive arboreal hideaways.

1. Tree Snake Houses

Pedras Salgadas, Portugal
Part of an eco resort, these long and slender dwellings were designed to not only have minimal impact on their surroundings, but also look as though they are wrapped around the terrain like a giant native creature. [See more]

2. Woodland Den Treehouse

Essex, England
This elevated circular cabin is held up by a lineup of three trees, and enjoys 360-degree views from both inside and its two outdoor decks. [See more]

3. Nasu Treehouse

Nasu, Japan
One of visionary tree house guru Takashi Kobayashi's many arboreal creations, this boxy modern hangout blends in remarkably well with its surroundings, as if the tree itself sprouted some weird growth in the middle. [See more]

4. The Mirrorcube

Harads, Sweden
Part of Sweden's incredible Treehotel, the Mirrorcube looks like a portal to an alternate dimension, decked out with a one-way mirror that allows it to nearly disappear into the forest canopy. [See more]

5. 4Treehouse

Lake Muskoka, California
This lanky two-floor hideaway is modeled after a Japanese lantern, and achieves a similar gentle glow thanks to an interior lighting scheme that bleeds through the slatted walls. [See more]

6. Banyan Drive Treehouse

Los Angeles, California
Set at the base of a pine tree, this modest modern outpost serves as both a studio and office behind a visual artist's main home. [See more]

7. The Treehouse

Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium
Commissioned by one of the world's biggest paper companies as a testament to their commitment to sustainability, The Treehouse is less a house and more of a conference center in the trees. It's meant to serve as a gathering place for people from the company and elsewhere to discuss initiatives related to the environment, and has plenty of space to accommodate quite a crowd. [See more]

8. Teahouse Tetsu

Hokutu City, Japan
Set amongst a sea of cherry blossoms, this simple and modern tea house is part of the Kiyoharu Shirakaba Museum of Art, and was engineered to safely sway in the wind with the other trees during heavy storms. [See more]

9. Two-Tree House

Jerusalem, Israel
Clocking in just under 500 square feet, the architects of this spread chose to fully embrace the mature trees its built around, incorporating a giant pine that appears to have burst right through the front porch. [See more]

10. Treehouse on Äckerle

Helibronn, Germany
This angular perch is hoisted up in a pear tree, and soaked in sunlight thanks to a large skylight and panoramic windows. Even better, from the large deck down below you can catch sweeping views of a nearby valley and vineyard. [See more]
 

11. The Cabin

Harads, Sweden
Another exceptional part of Sweden's Treehotel, The Cabin is a capsule-shaped bedroom floating above the Lule River valley, accessible via a long and horizontal bridge that connects with the sloped ground nearby. [See more]

12. The Treehouse

Seattle, Washington
Set on a patch of land once considered "unbuildable," this modest house sits on a slope so steep it's essentially floating amongst the flora. And despite being surrounded by a thicket, it's soaked with light inside from a large skylight and a series of strategically placed windows. [See more]

13. Free Spirit Spheres

Qualicum Beach, Canada
Forming a nature retreat in Vancouver Island's rainforest, these four spherical cabins are suspended "like pendants" from a series of ropes tethered to the surrounding tall trees. [See more]

14. Casey Key Guest House

Osprey, Florida
The guest quarters for a larger nearby home, this luxurious hideout's shape was inspired by the wind-shaped oaks it surrounds, and features a large bedroom, living area, kitchenette, and wraparound deck looking out across Sarasota Bay. [See more]


Joe McGauley is a senior editor at Supercompressor who engineered one of the jankiest treehouses of all time as a child.

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