Scottish Houzz: Romantic Treetop Hideaway Takes Cosy to a New Level

Houzz at a Glance
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 (small cottage) 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,” Booth 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.

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.

Booth 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 Booth.

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 Booth.

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. Booth 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 in ‘Green Ground’ and ‘Pointing’: Farrow & Ball; ‘Sage’ and ‘Duck Egg’: 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). Booth 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 Booth, “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 Booth.

Alseda stool: Ikea; sofa: My Furniture

Rather than full-length windows, Booth opted for a more unusual effect with these small openings that frame tiny views and let in pockets of light. “The idea was to recreate the dappled light you get through the leaves of the trees,” says Booth.

Bedside lights: Häfele; Rennes pendant light: Garden Trading

The bathroom, in the smaller pod, carries on the colour scheme of bare timber with pastel touches. To make the timber waterproof, it was covered in a Formica laminate in a grey-green colour called Seed.

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 Booth 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 Booth. “It’s a totally different experience staying here.”

More: Home in the Clouds: 11 Incredible Tree Houses for Adults