Lofty shelterporn: ‘New Treehouses of the World’

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To flip through Pete Nelson’s gorgeous ‘New Treehouses of the World’ is to get drawn into his utopian vision, that ‘treehouses could be used for the greater good.’ How exactly, is a little murky -- basically, hanging out in a treehouse will get you closer to nature, maybe see it from a new perspective -- but the constructions themselves are transcendentally convincing.

Nelson, who is a fine photographer, is also the founder of the TreeHouse Workshopin Seattle. In an early chapter, he shows how his treehouses are constructed. Then he travels the U.S. and the world -- Thailand, Brazil, India -- to find some amazing structures that most of us will never be able to visit, let alone replicate. The photos inspire lust and awe: see our gallery.

Few city-dwellers like me have the kind of property that might accommodate one of these brilliantly-imagined treehouses. But we can dream (and we do have bookshelves).

-- Carolyn Kellogg