Houzz Tour: An Off-grid Treetop Hideaway for Two in Scotland
Like a child’s drawing of trees, this unique retreat for two is the epitome of peaceful seclusion, making for the perfect digital detox
Following the success of designer Sam Booth’s first standalone off-grid building, a tiny bothy on a beautiful plot of farmland, the same clients commissioned a second structure just 500m away. ‘The joy of the first one was that it was in the middle of a field, had big windows and was all about the views,’ says Sam. ‘We wanted this to be an inversion of that.’ A womb-like design evolved, carefully introverted to focus the mind on its immediate surroundings and make it a real treetop retreat away from the stresses of everyday life. Sustainability, self-sufficiency and originality characterise the ethos of the design.
The right-hand pod houses an open-plan sleeping, dining and kitchen area. On the left is the bathroom. The smaller structure holds all of the power equipment, such as a (sophisticated) composting toilet generator and batteries, which are charged via solar panels on the roof. Galvanised steel steps lead up to a little platform with a front door. A tiny hallway allows you to either go right into the living space or left into the bathroom.
Sam chose to have three pods instead of one larger one as it tied in to the notion of it being a tree. Practicality also played a part, as all of the structures were made in the Echo Living workshop and transported to the site via tractors, and smaller pods were easier to manoeuvre.
The home is totally off-grid. Everything is run off the sun via two 250W solar PV panels and battery storage, so it’s both energy-efficient and self-sufficient. With hot water and solar-powered electricity, ‘it’s hard to tell it’s not connected to the mains. The only things we avoided were TV and Wi-Fi; it’s supposed to be sort of a digital detox,’ says Sam.
Sam chose to have three pods instead of one larger one as it tied in to the notion of it being a tree. Practicality also played a part, as all of the structures were made in the Echo Living workshop and transported to the site via tractors, and smaller pods were easier to manoeuvre.
The home is totally off-grid. Everything is run off the sun via two 250W solar PV panels and battery storage, so it’s both energy-efficient and self-sufficient. With hot water and solar-powered electricity, ‘it’s hard to tell it’s not connected to the mains. The only things we avoided were TV and Wi-Fi; it’s supposed to be sort of a digital detox,’ says Sam.
In the largest pod is the kitchen, dining and sleeping area. Storage in the kitchen area includes one of the cupboards (the other is a fridge), two drawers under the sink and an inset shelf above the hob. ‘When you have a small space, rather than hiding everything away, it’s nice to have a shelf with things on it, so they become part of the decoration,’ says Sam.
See 10 ways to make the most of a small kitchen
See 10 ways to make the most of a small kitchen
This is the view from the small hallway into the larger pod. It’s a very small kitchen, but has all of the necessities, with a hob, small fridge and Belfast sink tucked into the freestanding unit. Pastel paint colours from Laura Ashley and Farrow & Ball give it a cheerful yet understated edge.
A wood-burning stove is raised on a slate and plywood shelf to give it more presence in the room. Sam fitted a marble slab below it to protect the oak floorboards should anything fall from the fire.
Hobbit wood-burning stove, Salamander Stoves. Paint colours include Green Ground & Pointing by Farrow & Ball; Sage & Duck Egg by Laura Ashley.
A wood-burning stove is raised on a slate and plywood shelf to give it more presence in the room. Sam fitted a marble slab below it to protect the oak floorboards should anything fall from the fire.
Hobbit wood-burning stove, Salamander Stoves. Paint colours include Green Ground & Pointing by Farrow & Ball; Sage & Duck Egg by Laura Ashley.
The interior walls are cross-laminated timber, which is similar to a chunky plywood but with greater thermal mass (it can hold heat and release it slowly). Sam chose to paint small areas to mark them out and subtly zone the separate spaces. A table and chairs found in a junk shop were partially painted in the same colour to tie them to the space.
At the other end of the pod is the sleeping area. What makes this space special is the full-width, fixed skylight above the bed. ‘This is a designated dark skies area,’ says Sam, ‘and there are the most amazing stars at night.’ When lying in bed, you can look through the canopy of trees and beyond to the night sky. ‘It’s like sleeping under the stars, just a little more sheltered,’ says Sam.
Alseda stool, Ikea. Sofa, My Furniture.
Check out 11 amazing treehouses you can stay in
Alseda stool, Ikea. Sofa, My Furniture.
Check out 11 amazing treehouses you can stay in
Rather than full-length windows, Sam opted for a more unusual effect with these small openings that frame tiny views and let in pockets of light. ‘The idea was to re-create the dappled light you get through the leaves of the trees,’ says Sam.
Bedside lights, Häfele. Rennes Pendant light, Garden Trading.
Bedside lights, Häfele. Rennes Pendant light, Garden Trading.
The bathroom, in the smaller pod, carries on the colour scheme of bare wood with pastel touches. To make the wood waterproof, it was covered in a Formica laminate in a grey-green colour called Seed.
As it was designed as a couple’s retreat, an intimate little feature of the bathroom is that as you walk in, there appears to be no door and only a basin and bath present. The wall to the left-hand side of the basin actually pivots around to expose a toilet. The idea is that when one person is having a bath, they can leave the door open to feel connected to the person in the other pod, but if privacy is ever needed, then the wall can simply be pivoted across to shut off the bathroom.
Bath, Victoria Plumb. Basin taps, Axor.
Bath, Victoria Plumb. Basin taps, Axor.
A bucket filled with stones acts as a cantilever to the window on the left. It ties in with the slightly childlike vision of the building that Sam and his client had. ‘We could have used a high-tech hinge,’ he admits, ‘but this seemed like a much simpler and more playful way of doing it.’
The pods resemble cloud-like trees atop their trunks. While they’re perhaps abstracted a little too far to blend in with the forest, the similarities are certainly recognisable, and the creativity and originality are unmistakable. ‘We wanted something that would attract attention,’ says Sam. ‘It’s a totally different experience staying here.’
See more info on the house in the trees
TELL US…
Did you have a treehouse when you were younger? Tell us what you like about this one in the Comments below.
See more info on the house in the trees
TELL US…
Did you have a treehouse when you were younger? Tell us what you like about this one in the Comments below.
Sponsored
Location Southern Scotland
Size The main pod is 3m x 3.5m
Designer Sam Booth of Echo Living
As the sister structure to a bothy that was all about open views, family time and eating outside, Brockloch Treehouse was to be for couples – romantic and all about being inside and locked away from it all, safe in the treetops.
‘It’s funny, because although it’s a treehouse, which you would normally associate with children, this is actually a space for adults – more a couple’s retreat,’ Sam says. Clad in Douglas fir from a local forest, enveloped in corrugated tin, and with 150mm of sheep’s wool insulation in the walls and 200mm in the roof, the treehouse is unbelievably cosy.
Tour the off-grid bothy