Situated among a cluster of large eucalyptus trees in Lorne, a small seaside town near Melbourne, Australia, this modern home is a breath of fresh air. FMD Architects worked to a brief from a family, a couple and their two adult daughters, who wanted a large living and dining space with outdoor entertaining areas.

Overlooking stunning vistas of the trees and the ocean, this home is an exercise in bringing the outdoors in. It was important to the homeowners that they had a space to practice yoga that was private and secluded, but offered fantastic external views. This living area delivers just that, as well as comfortable seating and easy access to the outdoor deck.

The kitchen features flush cabinetry in a gleaming white finish, and a long window running along the countertop in place of a splashback, allowing light to stream into the space. The unusual rounded cut-outs in the grey kitchen island echo similar details found in the walls and woodwork throughout the home.

Nestled within the dense jungle on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, this home was created by Olson Kundig, a Seattle-based architectural practice. The property is spread over three levels, each of which offers its own unique view of the forest: the ground floor is level with the forest floor, the middle floor is nestled within the foliage, and the top level soars above the canopy and boasts breathtaking views of the nearby beach.

The owners of this 2,140-square-foot treehouse are surfers and environmental activists, and the architects ensured that their personalities and interests were reflected in their home. Designed as an open-air surfer hut, the home is solar-powered and celebrates sustainable local materials –  it’s built almost entirely from teak wood harvested on-site.

Built by architect Ronald Haas, this luxury treehouse in Aptos, California, is over 50 years old. Its owner, Sam Odio, bought it as a retirement home for his parents but until they move in, he rents it out to guests via Airbnb. The treehouse covers 1,200 square feet, and is split over two floors. Its exterior is made from teak and copper, with redwood beams. 

Inside, the home showcases a mixture of rich woods, with black walnut, mahogany, cedar, rosewood and teak, combined with bamboo floors. Light streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows in this airy living room, which is part of an open-plan space with a kitchen and dining area. It's a stylish spot to take in the breathtaking views, with mid-century furniture and a colourful floor rug.

The kitchen features a stunning marble-topped island, and is outfitted with all the latest smart home appliances. Enjoy breakfast with a view of the treetops and the ocean from the dining nook beside the expansive windows, or take your coffee out on the deck and wake up to the soothing sounds of morning birdsong.

Perched on stilts on the side of a steep hill in a forest of bright green eucalyptus trees, this house created by Bark Architects is ideally located in the seaside town of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The timber, corrugated tin and glass structure appears to float above the treetops, and boasts sweeping views across the surrounding landscape. 

The house is primarily made up of open-plan spaces, inspired by the homeowners’ previous residence, a loft in London. It features large windows and fold-out doors to create a harmonious flow between indoors and out. Residents can make the most of the treetop vistas with the outdoor deck and plunge pool.

In the spacious open-plan kitchen, living room and dining area, a wood-burning stove adds cosiness, while classic ‘Side Chairs’ by Harry Bertoia for Knoll surround the dining table. Hot pink seat pads on the chairs and a large artwork above the stove add considered splashes of colour to this otherwise minimal space, with its crisp white kitchen cabinets and wood flooring. This room flows seamlessly onto the outdoor deck, making it the perfect spot for entertaining in summer.

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The architects kept the environment in mind when planning the design, choosing raw woods intended to weather with time for most of the 250-square-metre building’s exterior. These included spotted gum and recycled messmate woods, both of which come from eucalyptus trees – a nod to the house’s stunning forest surroundings.

Architectural practice Atelier Victoria Migliore created this family home in Frehel, Brittany in 2018. With 904-square-feet of floor space, the cosy-yet-contemporary dwelling is a light structure, raised between one and three metres off the ground on stilts. Clad in blackened wood it blends in with the surrounding pine forest.

In contrast, the home’s interior is clad mostly in blonde wood, contrasting with the dark exterior. Timber beams are left exposed in the ceiling, while large windows bring the outdoors in. The home’s interior is organised around a tiled water feature, which runs between the living room – complete with a stylish suspended fireplace – and the kitchen and dining area.

A deck at the entry wraps around an existing tree, turning it into a striking natural feature within the house. Amazingly, the home was constructed without felling a single tree on site. The architects carved niches into the building so as not to disturb the growth of the surrounding pines, and used 26 steel piles to make the home hover above the forest floor.

Blackened wood clads the bedroom walls, further blurring the boundary between inside and out. Simple furnishings and a neutral colour palette allow the view of the forest to take centre stage here. This room leads to an outdoor deck, which has two swings attached – providing the perfect spot for fully immersing yourself in nature!

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When the owners of this treehouse discovered this site by chance on a stroll through the forest near the river Enns in Steyr, Austria, they were instantly captivated. The problem? Only a small part of the site was on an even surface – the rest of it lay on a steep six-metre-high slope.

To solve the issue, architectural firm mia2 ARCHITEKTUR built a small part of the dwelling on the ground, while the rest was lifted into the treetops, supported by a steel framework.

Bright fir wood lends the interior of the treehouse an airy feel. This two-storey living room is minimally furnished, with a grey sofa, a small mid-century table and a clever built-in window seat with cushions – perfect for curling up with a good book, or just taking in the spectacular views of the trees.

The retreat is part of Green Village, a compound of hand-built eco-homes designed by a local architectural and design firm called Ibuku, who create sustainable buildings that also look beautiful. Aura House is available to rent via BoutiqueHomes from £186 ($245) per night – we think it would make the perfect romantic getaway!

Ibuku bent and twisted Asper bamboo to create the curving walls, partitions and staircases within this stunning space. In the open-plan kitchen and living area, the furniture, kitchen cupboards and pendant light shade are all made from bamboo, too. The material was chosen by Ibuku as it’s fast-growing and sustainable, reducing the environmental impact of Green Village.

In the bedroom, huge bamboo beams support the structure on either side. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors allow light to stream into the room. The space opens out onto an outdoor deck with a hammock, so guests can relax in the fresh air and take in the breathtaking views of the tree canopy.

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Brazilian architecture firm Nitsche Arquitetos Associados completed the Iporanga Residence in 2006. Named after its location – Iporanga is an area of dense jungle, approximately 120km east of Sao Paulo. The property was designed as a summer holiday home for a family, but as the rainforest is protected, the owner wanted a house that would take up minimal space on the land. It also needed to be large enough to house five bedrooms.

The first floor of the house is raised up above the ground on stilts. This concrete base functions as a central space for living, dining and cooking. Above that is the top floor, a rectangular wood-and-glass structure, which houses the five bedrooms. The design of the property was inspired by the small bridges that are commonplace in the region, with its concrete columns offering support for the floors above.

Set in a secluded area near Mount Whitfield in Cairns, Australia, this single-storey contemporary treehouse by MMP Architects is made up of three pavilions connected by roofed outdoor passages, lifted above the slope on which it’s built by a steel support framework. A driveway leads to the dwelling, winding its way through a forest of 40-metre-tall terminalia and quandong trees. 

The master bedroom and bathroom boast views of a rock face, which transforms into a stunning waterfall during the rainy season. The homeowners can sleep soundly at night knowing their abode is eco-friendly – water is heated using solar power, while durable materials such as sustainably grown wood and locally sourced stone were used in the building’s construction, reducing the need for future maintenance.

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South African architecture studio Malan Vorster designed this house for a client who wanted a Cape Town hideaway that resembled a treehouse. Set in the suburb of Constantia, it was deliberately built on a steep slope so that it would sit above the forest’s tree line, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape.

Enclosed by a glass balustrade, the master bedroom on the second floor was designed to double as a lookout platform, offering stunning vistas of the trees below. The bed frame and bedside table are cleverly built into the wall, creating a minimal, seamless finish. An ensuite bathroom is tucked away in a nook behind the bed.

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