The treehouse, luxury version for nostalgic adults

They say that throughout our lives, the child in us accompanies us and influences our choices. It makes us wiggle, run, jump, even though our age and our knees no longer help. The tree house is a symbol of childhood, of adventure, and not a few people build tree houses for adults to use. I would like to show you more of such a cottage, but not just any ordinary one, but one designed and built by specialists with a thorough knowledge of architecture and woodworking.

The house, a two-storey flat, is in West Dorset, England, in woodland. The place is called Crafty Camping because, as well as some of the finest accommodation, it is also where some of England's best woodworkers give woodworking courses. You don't have to attend the courses to stay at the campsite. You can come here for a weekend or even for a holiday to stay in yurts, round tents, in the sheepfold or in a tree-house.

The Woodman's Treehouse was built in 2016 by this community of artisans led by Guy Mallison, together with the architectural studio BEaM studio. It is not a simple improvisation around a tree, but a very serious and complex work, with an architectural project that has references to valuable works in the field, even trying to pay homage to them. But let's see what Woodman's Treehouse is all about and why it's considered luxurious.

It was built around and under the canopy of a 200-year-old oak tree. The appearance on the outside is linear, resembling a rectangular dwelling divided into several zones. The division is suggested by the materials used to make or clad the exterior walls: shingle, firewood and plank. Each of these materials defines an area, giving the impression of a real residence.

Access is via a wooden deck and string that leads straight to the front door of the house. The door has a porthole window and a submarine-type locking system.

After passing through a small hallway you reach the house itself which, surprisingly, is round and built around a central pillar. In the center is a rotating fireplace that can be directed to any area of the room. The bedroom and bathroom are in the same space, but insulated in friezes, which provide some privacy.

In the bedroom the solid wooden bed covers a large part of the area, with bedside tables and bedside tables on the sides and niches in the wall for books, decorative objects or other necessities. From the bedroom you can exit to one of the outdoor terraces where there is a hammock and a shower.

The bathroom is very bright, thanks to a large glazed area with a copper bathtub. Yet there is privacy because, opposite the window, the huge trunk of the oak tree is making its way through the openwork terrace floor.

In the rest of the space there is the kitchen, equipped with all the necessary and the living room. The kitchen is not recessed, like the bedroom and the bathroom, but shares the living room. In a completely separate room, with access from the entrance hallway, is the toilet, the walls of which are made of firewood. There is also a sink inside and, during the day, the space is flooded with light from a huge skylight.

All the windows are built in such a way as to give the impression that the walls are very thick, like those of a castle. In fact, the walls only look thick, inside they're empty. It couldn't be otherwise, because a tree house has to be light, not damage the tree and be safe. This idea of thick walls, however, helps to maintain the illusion of childhood, of a tree castle built for fair maidens and pretty boys.

Outside there are other terraces besides the one leading from the bedroom. On one of them is a simple peasant-style table, with logs as chairs.

From the terrace in front of the bathroom window, a spiral staircase leads up to the next level, where a sauna is also built, completely clad in wood.

Outside, in front of the terrace, there's another hot tub where you can cool off after your time in the sauna or relax and feel like you're the master of the forest.

And to complete the illusion of childhood, you can go down one of the terraces directly into the forest on a slide.

It's not the first time I've shown you tree houses. I'm sure you remember the cottage in the middle of the lavender field or the one in old lime tree top. But this one surprised me with its successful combination of a tree house and a luxury hotel suite, between the castle-like look given by the thick walls and the shack-like look suggested by the shingle covering the exterior walls. It's obviously the work of specialists executed with great skill.

Hey, Santa ... how about a tree house ... and don't say you didn't have time!