We all wanted to live in one in a child, but even in our wildest dreams most of us never imagined creative tree house designs akin to those by Baumraum. This German design firm makes our moderated fantasies and unbridled reality, giving life to complex tree house visions of all shapes and sizes that people rent or even live in.

Each tree house is completely custom-designed, taking the site plan and available perspectives into account as well as the (literal) nature of the area as a whole. The final products can be as simple as a few sleeping spaces or as complex as a fully insulated, heated and lit space with its own mini-kitchen and/or other amenities – which would work for anything from a club house or social fort to a resort.

Some tree houses are supported in part on the tree or trees around them but most are primarily secured by ropes, stilts and other supports that make them independent of the tree’s health and structural capability – and also reduce any potential negative impact on the tree(s) that could be affected by their presence after construction.

Some of their tree houses are simple, one level structures while other have decks or multiple levels and can span between one or more trees as needed/desired. Each of these plans has to be thought out carefully and three-dimensionally but makes for a dynamic vertical and horizontal experience once constructed.

The views are carefully considered as is the spatial sequence of each approach. Unlike most conventional architectural projects, the construction of tree houses also call for a greater attention to these elements as they are all about the process of movement and sit at higher elevations (thus requiring more careful consideration of what can be seen in all directions). If you cannot yet afford to buy a treehouse or build your own there are also many rentals available at resorts.