A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Television programmes such as George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces and Netf lix’s

Cabins in the Wild have done much to generate interest in designs that ref lect these natural attributes. For instance, the award-winning Woodsman’s Treehouse, designed by British architects Brownlie

Ernst and Marks around an ancient oak tree in a forest in Dorset, was long-listed for BBC television’s Grand Designs: House

It combines a beautifully crafted aesthetic through natural materials that blend into the seductive scenery with playful factors such as access via a rope bridge, a rooftop spa and sauna, and a slide to the forest f loor. Indoors, a quirky window inserted into the f loor provides a different perspective on the surrounding woodland.

James Lohan, founder and chief creative officer of curated travel platform Mr & Mrs Smith, says that more travellers are seeking immersive experiences and eco-friendly, out-in-the-wild stays. He points to the success of Treehotel in Sweden, whose design-led dwellings have captured the imagination of adults and children alike; it also has the added benefit of minimal impact on the surroundings. In the United Kingdom, retreats such as The Fish, Chewton Glen and the Pig Hotels have adult-friendly treehouses, shepherd’s huts and isolated cabins kitted out with all-home comforts.

Remote getaways off the tourist track such as Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort in the rainforests of British Columbia, Canada, which can only be reached by air or sea, are becoming all the rage. “Experiencing the great outdoors without roughing it is a huge draw, and as travellers become more eco-conscious it’ll only become more popular,” he predicts.

The most successful designers evoke deeply emotional elements of nature through patterns, textures, colours, furnishings and art that create the sensation of being outdoors