It sounds like something out of a childhood dream: a hidden treehouse in the middle of a forest, wrapped around a century-old oak, complete with a cozy bedroom and a rooftop terrace high above the trees. But this isn’t a fairytale, it’s the ORIGIN Treehouse Hotel by Paris-based Atelier LAVIT.
Created for clients who wanted a one-of-a-kind retreat, the treehouse is perched in the forested grounds of Château de Raray in France. The design began with a single oak, majestic, tall, and over a hundred years old. The challenge was to celebrate the tree, not compete with it. The result is a cabin that feels like a living sculpture, built with precision carpentry and poetic restraint.
A wooden walkway, ten meters above the ground, stretches from a spa platform straight into the “nest.” Suspended between trees, the path offers a taste of adventure before guests even step inside.
The treehouse itself takes its cues from a bird’s nest. Designed as an octagon, it wraps around the oak trunk at its center, creating a private inner patio that instantly evokes a feeling of safety and calm. Two large sliding glass doors open into the main living space, where nature takes center stage once again through expansive forest views.
Inside, Atelier LAVIT used pale poplar wood to line the walls and custom-made furniture. The effect is both warm and minimalist, like a forest cocoon. The sitting area flows into a compact bedroom, filled with light from the large windows that look out over the branches.
Following the circular plan, a narrow corridor branches off from the living space, concealing three sliding doors that lead to a dressing room, a well-equipped bathroom, and a small technical closet. Every detail has been considered to make this compact treehouse feel like a fully functional hotel suite in the sky.
Back out on the patio, a wooden ladder invites guests to continue their ascent. Climbing higher, you arrive at the hidden rooftop terrace, a secret platform nestled among the branches. From here, a full 360° panoramic view unfolds across the forest of Château de Raray.
Atelier LAVIT’s ORIGIN Treehouse is an architectural meditation on harmony between human and habitat. By wrapping around the oak rather than altering it, the structure feels timeless, as if it has always belonged among the branches.