An Atypical Tree House

The tree house is perched on a hill that offers canyon vistas and views of downtown L. A. and the Getty Museum.

+ View Full Sized Image

A clerestory around the perimeter of the butterfly roof gives an illusion that the roof floats over the box of the tree house.

+ View Full Sized Image

A mere 172 square feet, the tree house in the hills of Brentwood in Los Angeles was designed by Rockefeller Partners Architects, Inc. as a refuge, gallery and guest cottage.

+ View Full Sized Image

The entry and stairs to the tree house complex was sculpted from exposed, unpainted concrete, designed to suggest the ladder of a traditional tree house.

+ View Full Sized Image

The tree house serves also as temporary guest quarters, with modern-day amenities like a daybed, a sink, a toilet, a small refrigerator, a fireplace and a microwave.

+ View Full Sized Image

To reconnect back to the fallen tree, the architects carved a portal in the walnut floor, affording a view of the inspiration for the house itself.

+ View Full Sized Image

Materials and craft play a significant role inside and out. The columns are Type 316 stainless steel – almost nautical grade. Floors and walls are walnut; windows are mahogany.

+ View Full Sized Image

Metaphorically, architect Chris Kempel said, the Kynar-painted steel columns are trees. “It was like taking a box and poking it with chopsticks.”

+ View Full Sized Image

The architects took about eight months to design the tree house. Construction of the inhabitable sculpture, with its studio and lounge, took another 18 months.

+ View Full Sized Image

The outdoor shower below the tree house was shaped and formed from concrete to be a truly private experience.

+ View Full Sized Image

Large floor-to-ceiling windows and doors provide abundant natural light and ventilation.

+ View Full Sized Image