Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs [Hardcover]

Alain Laurens (Author), La Cabane Perchee Company (Author), Vincent Thfoin (Photographer), Yann Arthus-Bertrand (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Living high up in the trees is no longer only a fantasy. A renewed passion for nature, combined with the growing availability of innovative building techniques and materials, has created a burst of imaginative treehouse construction on every continent. Alain Laurens is Europe’s leading architect of such projects, and his company, La cabane Perchée, is internationally recognized for its extraordinary treehouse design, superior workmanship, and ecological responsibility. Treehouse Living includes fifty innovative treehouses in a wide range of styles, all built without driving a single nail into a tree. From a lofty porch for entertaining to a secluded bedroom set amid rustling leaves, from an intimate dining room to a living area complete with spectacular views, this book offers a new way to live well in nature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Laurens, founder of a company called La Cabane Perchée (the Treehouse Aloft); Dufour, a watercolorist who designs and draws tree houses; and André, a carpenter who builds them, present in superb color photographs 50 tree houses they have constructed in France, Switzerland and Spain. Situated on estates and in gardens, backyards, forests and playgrounds, these are children's playhouses, writers' retreats, guesthouses (complete with water and electricity) and a simple platform for a bed for those on a limited budget. Many are reached by spiral staircases that wind around tree trunks, others have footbridges, and one even has a lift. All are marvels of technical construction and sophisticated woodwork, and most have stunning views. Photos and watercolors show the houses in their settings as well as their interiors, which often include elaborate furnishings. Brief texts describe how each house is designed and constructed in place without driving nails into the trees or removing branches: if a tree limb is in the way, it is simply incorporated into the design. Snippets of information about the clients who commissioned these dwellings add to the delight of this beautiful coffee-table book. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Inspired by childhood memories and Italo Calvino’s Baron in the Trees, Alain Laurens founded his company, La Cabane Perchée (The Treehouse Aloft), in 2000 and quickly started conceiving and building treehouses around Europe with his partners, Daniel Dufour, a watercolor artist, and Ghislain André, a carpenter.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Abrams (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810995190
• ISBN-13: 978-0810995192
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Look at What Treehouse Designs Have Come To, April 20, 2009

By 

Michael C. Svaleson "Mike" (Ft. Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs (Hardcover)

Alain Laurens and the Team at La Cabane Perchee Company are true Masters of their crafts. The Treehouses crafted and beautifully illustrated in the book defy the imagination. I had no idea treehouse building had developed to this stage. I am just beginning to develop the skills necessary to design and build high-end treehouses for people to live in and enjoyed seeing what is possible. Wish there were more details on the actual construction; especially the out-of-this-world staircases. Hope to see future books from these people, especially if they give more How-To information.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide to the treehouses of La Cabane Perchee, January 6, 2010

By 

Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs (Hardcover)

These folks have been building impressive, complex, and quite striking treehouses for many years and across Europe. No nails enter the trees and the natural forms of the trees give rise the the forms of the treehouse. They range from sleeping platforms to guesthouses, playrooms and studies. They're sometimes whimsical and always reflect an admiration of the natural world.

The woodworking is superb and the photography of it is quite good. The text adds considerable information as to the wishes and needs of the clients for whom these treehouses are built. Construction how-to level details are not present, and really would be extremely difficult to use since each tree and therefore each treehouse varies considerably. I think an accomplished do-it-yourselfer could get a lot of ideas from the book, but would also recognize the need for some serious engineering thoughts for some of these designs.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a coffee table book, June 23, 2011

By 

Pearl "Totus Tuus Maria" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treehouse Living: 50 Innovative Designs (Hardcover)

This book has photos and drawings of treehouses built by La Cabane Perchee. It was probably created as a marketing tool because as other reviewers have written, it does not provide instruction on how to build the treehouses. Many of the designs were slightly similar. Finally, I would have liked some details about the safety of some of the houses; they seemed to be perched precariously on branches in spite of slim wooden supports.