'James Bond' Tree House in Greece
Simon Payne, cofounder of Blue Forest
in the United Kingdom, grew up in the great outdoors of east Africa.
Payne is nostalgically attached to tree houses, which he says remind us
all of youthful experiences with "dens, playhouses and hideaways." After
a day trip to Athens, Greece,
to visit a client's estate to see if a tree house build was feasible
within the client's gardens, Payne already had a sense that this tree
house build would be one of the most extravagant constructions that his
team had ever done. After walking around the client's property to
identify the most appropriate location, Payne chose a site among a
collection of mature pine trees near the client's main home and not far
from an existing children's play area.
Houzz at a Glance
Who plays here: A couple and their 11-year-old son
Location: Athens, Greece
Size: 376 square feet (interior floor space)
That's interesting: The tree house is filled with a wide range of high-tech gadgets and is fittingly referred to as "James Bond's HQ."
The client wanted to build a large tree house with enough space to include a kitchen, a washroom and a living area. In the initial conversations, TVs, security cameras, biometric security systems and other high-tech gadgets weren't even in the picture.
The tree house, with a deck perched about 10 feet from ground level, was designed to become part of the landscape and so that trees could be retained; no trees were cleared to make way for the construction. The structure is supported on Blue Forest's bracer system, which allows for tree movement and growth where the trees pass through the decks.
"Our client's brief for this project was extremely short, but after our initial meeting, it was clear to us that what they wanted was a tree house on a larger, more functional scale. Having designed and built over 200 tree houses, we've become very good at being inventive and allowing our imaginations to run wild after the first meeting," says Payne.
Read full article.
Houzz at a Glance
Who plays here: A couple and their 11-year-old son
Location: Athens, Greece
Size: 376 square feet (interior floor space)
That's interesting: The tree house is filled with a wide range of high-tech gadgets and is fittingly referred to as "James Bond's HQ."
The client wanted to build a large tree house with enough space to include a kitchen, a washroom and a living area. In the initial conversations, TVs, security cameras, biometric security systems and other high-tech gadgets weren't even in the picture.
The tree house, with a deck perched about 10 feet from ground level, was designed to become part of the landscape and so that trees could be retained; no trees were cleared to make way for the construction. The structure is supported on Blue Forest's bracer system, which allows for tree movement and growth where the trees pass through the decks.
"Our client's brief for this project was extremely short, but after our initial meeting, it was clear to us that what they wanted was a tree house on a larger, more functional scale. Having designed and built over 200 tree houses, we've become very good at being inventive and allowing our imaginations to run wild after the first meeting," says Payne.
Read full article.
