treehouse Archives | Moss and Fog

Architecture

Orb-Like Retreat Inspired by Natural Surroundings

May 5, 2025 Architecture

Nidum Cabina is a striking conceptual retreat by Veliz Arquitecto that blends modern architecture with the quiet beauty of the natural world.

With its smooth, rounded form, reminiscent of a forest nest, it offers a calm and sculptural space designed to exist in harmony with its surroundings.

A modern wooden structure with a rounded design, nestled among trees in a lush forest setting, featuring a large reflective window and surrounding greenery.

Perched gently above the ground on stilts, the cabin treads lightly on the earth. Its organic shape and use of natural materials allow it to blend seamlessly into the landscape, feeling more grown than built.

The stilt-like structure is reminiscent of traditional scaffolding, and lends the entire build a highly unique ‘suspended’ feel.

Modern wooden structure integrated into a lush forest, featuring large circular glass windows and a spiral staircase.

Inside, the space is open and minimal, with large cutouts that frame the forest and let in plenty of light and air. The design encourages stillness, reflection, and a stronger connection to the natural world.

Rather than standing out, Nidum Cabina quietly complements its environment, showing how thoughtful architecture can support sustainability, beauty, and peace.

Via Amazing Architecture:

A modern, circular wooden structure with a reflective surface, surrounded by lush greenery and trees. The building is elevated on a platform with stairs leading up to it, blending contemporary design with nature.

A unique architectural structure resembling an egg, situated among greenery, featuring a large reflective window and a wooden staircase leading up to it.

A landscape featuring a bamboo structure surrounded by lush green trees, with birds perched on the bamboo and the roof of a dome-shaped structure in the foreground.

A modern treehouse constructed with wooden and bamboo materials, featuring a round glass window and a staircase. Surrounded by lush greenery and a grassy area with small stones and seating.

A unique architectural structure resembling a spherical wooden pod, surrounded by lush greenery and trees, with a staircase leading up to it.

A modern, architectural structure resembling an egg, made of wood and glass, nestled in a lush forest with tall trees and greenery. The building features an open design and is surrounded by rocks and grass.

A modern architectural structure resembling an egg, surrounded by greenery and trees, with a wooden deck and stairs leading up to it. The design features reflective surfaces and is set in a natural landscape with rocks and plants.

A modern treehouse structure designed with a spherical wooden design, nestled among green foliage, featuring a large round window and a wooden staircase leading up to it.

A modern wooden treehouse with a large oval window, surrounded by lush greenery and plants. A staircase leads up to the entrance, creating a harmonious connection with nature.

A unique structure resembling an egg-shaped wooden pod, surrounded by lush green foliage and trees. The building features a bamboo framework and a large circular window, creating a harmonious blend with nature.

A modern, circular wooden structure elevated above the ground, surrounded by greenery and bamboo-like supports, featuring a staircase and sitting areas with rocks.

Aerial view of a unique spherical structure nestled among dense trees, surrounded by greenery and a water feature.

A modern, egg-shaped wooden structure is nestled in a lush green forest, surrounded by trees and plants, with a staircase leading up to it.

Images © Alfredo Gonzalez.

Adventure

Modernist, 3 Story Treehouse in Arkansas

March 14, 2025 Adventure

Who doesn’t love a good treehouse? Especially one that takes on a designer feel, with a unique, fin-like structure, and an attached suspension bridge?

Part of the Evans Children’s Adventure Garden in Southwest Arkansas, the design is created by Modus Studio, and has a certain futuristic feel to it. The 5-sided main structure creates a focal point, and then progresses into a smaller tunnel-like pathway, with unique fins that bring a sense of visual cohesion.

Using locally sourced Southern yellow pine, the structure is a magical discovery for kids exploring this mature Ouachita Forest outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Photos via Timothy Hursley and Modus Studio, used with permission.

Architecture

Studio MEMM’s Elegant Geometric Treehouse in Brazil

February 28, 2023 Architecture

Brazilian architecture firm Studio MEMM completed this elegant treehouse in Minas Gerais, in Southeast Brazil. Elevated between endemic Pinheiro-bravo trees, the linear treehouse is located near an existing pond, and features a long elevated walkway, and geometric forms that fit into the wooded setting.

We love the darkly stained wood and the well-placed landscape lighting, which gives a sense of drama to the site.

Learn more on Dezeen.

For more on treehouses, check out these posts.

Trees

Luxurious Treehouse Makes Us Want to Hang Out Amongst the Treetops

January 13, 2023 Trees

We made a treehouse as a kid, and it was pretty fancy, by a 13 year-old’s standards. It had a trap door, and some window screen nailed up, as well as a very rickety plank to walk between trees. Designer and builder Guy Mallinson is trying to make us look bad, with his team’s amazing Woodsman Treehouse.

Costing well over $185,000 to build, the treehouse is a fully livable home, and beautiful, at that. Mallinson and his team went to great lengths not to harm the trees, but build around them, and incorporate their growth into the design of the treehouse. Some of the features included are a wood-fired pizza oven, a rooftop sauna and hot tub, an outdoor tree shower, and a large slide to bring you down quickly. It’s now part of an entire family of amazing treehouses called Mallinson’s Woodland Retreat, located in the UK, and all available for rental.

Below are some of the refined details of the Woodsman Treehouse, which would make a most memorable weekend stay, indeed.

Architecture

Bert is a Playful, Modular Tiny House Shaped Like a Tree Trunk

November 1, 2021 Architecture

Meet Bert, a playful, tree trunk-shaped modular tiny home from Austrian firm Precht. The warm and inviting shapes fit together in nearly endless configurations, and look great nestled amongst a real forest. We appreciate the wooden shingle cladding, which lends a fun and welcoming appearance. The designers purposely created Bert to be a breath of fresh air, especially in an architectural community that is very self-serious and often times stale.

Inside, the modular forms have plenty of space for living, and their large circular windows create a lovely porthole effect. We envision a small village of these in a forest, feeling both like a home for hobbits, and something you might see on the forest moon of Endor.

Via Dezeen:

“We know that buildings like Bert are not the path forward on a big scale, but I think as an industry, we need to dare more, try more and experiment more towards a more diverse future of our cities.”

– Precht

“Designing Bert, we tried to remember back to our childhood when we were climbing trees and building shelters with branches. We experienced nature in a 3 dimensional way and saw our surrounding as a playground. We tried to look at Bert from this perspective. How would children imagine a treehouse?”

Architecture

Elegant Woodnest Cabin In the Norwegian Forest

November 19, 2020 Architecture

Impressive and fancy treehouses have been built all over the world, as ways to find a mini escape to nature, and sometimes just to have architects flex their muscles. We’ve written about a number of them, but this ‘Woodnest‘ cabin outside of the Norwegian city of Odda is definitely one of the most elegant and refined that we’ve seen.

Designed by Helen & Hard Architects, the small, elevated cabin literally hugs a tree, which helps make up the support system itself.

The cabin’s wooden shingles are intricately applied and almost resemble an owl’s feathers, which further help the cabin blend into its natural setting.

A short walk across the elevated bridge take you into the cabin, which has flowing organic lines, and a clean and refined interior. Huge expansive windows, combined with the lifted position give the Woodnest an extraordinary view of the Hardangerfjord (Finland’s fourth largest fjord) below.

We’re impressed by the brilliant use of space, and also the modest footprint of the treehouse, which nevertheless provides an incredible experience for visitors. Via Uncrate:

” Stemming from the client’s wish to create a unique spatial experience that connects to both the ordinary and extraordinary sensation of climbing and exploring trees, our aim was to create a space that truly embodies what it means to dwell in nature. “

– Helen and Hard Architects

” Woodnest is a project that quietly sits in an extraordinary situation. The architecture aims to allow people to pause and appreciate the smaller details of the natural environments we inhabit; the grain of timber, the daily rhythm of the forest and the sensation of dwelling in nature. “

-Helen and Hard Architects

Architecture

Cape Town Tree House

September 29, 2020 Architecture

Amongst the eucalyptus trees of the beautiful South African city is the Cape Town Tree House. The stunning home is made of four steel “trunks” that form the structure, with another central core within. The vertically oriented house provides great views of Table Mountain, Cape Town’s famous peak. Designed by Malan Vorster, the house is made of steel and western red cedar, and has a wonderfully airy interior flow. Steel elements that makeup the trunks create a tree-like experience inside the home, and the 360 degree views of trees and nature give this home a very special experience. If you happen to know the owners, please let us know. We’d like to spend a weekend there. For those of you wanting more options for treehouse rentals, check out The 6 Coolest Airbnb Treehouses You Can Rent, posted by AllTheRooms.com. Via Uncrate:

Architecture

Willow Treehouse in the Catskill Mountains

May 24, 2018 Architecture

These days, you’re able to find just about any type of lodging you can imagine, thanks to home sharing platforms like Airbnb. From the most humble room to the most extravagant experience, it’s all just a few clicks away.

Add to this list the Willow Treehouse, located on 34 acres of pristine woods in the Catskill Mountains in New York. This geometric little gem is perched above a pond, and gives you ultimate privacy in a natural, wooded setting. 15 minutes from the historic town of Woodstock, the home is full of architectural features that make your stay memorable, from huge angled windows, to stylish built-in furniture, and a cozy woodturning stove. The outdoor wood burning hot tub makes it all the nicer. Super special vacation spot at $325 per night. Via Uncrate: