Stretching above the tree line, this multi-level home for a family of four realizes a life-long obsession with owning a tree house. This collection of wood and steel, glass and sky afforded an opportunity to embody much of what’s sacred about those forts in the air: the simplicity of its form, the security of a perch, and the anticipation of a view.
Negotiating an extremely steep site with panoramic views of the Arkansas River and Two Rivers Park, the house was realized as a narrow twenty-two foot wide bar, anchored by stone into the hillside and supported by piloti. This maximizes view, allowing each space to align linearly along the panorama and its ambient north light. The stone wall serves as both a visual anchor and a physical barrier between the public entry and private living spaces. The material palate was limited to stone, steel and glass, with deliberate emphasis given to exterior views for color, and landscape for accent.
In a reciprocal twist to the typical tree house, the home is entered at the Upper Level into the Gallery, a largely transparent form that affronts the stone wall and transitions into a vertical communicating stair that connects each level. This Gallery interconnects the public entertaining spaces on the Upper Level – Living, Dining and Kitchen. The Middle Level incorporates the Master Suite, Den and Guest Bedroom, while the Lower Level contains the children’s suite, with two bedrooms and a shared bath.
The idealized tree house is not trendy. It is simple, even timeless. It is restrained in form, finish and function, while providing an outsized sense of discovery and delight.
