Life In The Trees: A House Tour
Dear friends, Now this is a dream home for me. I like the light airiness of the rooms and big windows. The stone stairs going up from the road is very nice. This is the exact type of environment I would like to live in with trees, greens and nature. I don’t mind being far away from any cities. In the meditational retreat texts it states to be in a open and clear area is good for the meditations. If it’s good for the meditations, it would be good for everyday health. Espcially mental health. Enjoy.
Tsem Rinpoche
A homeowner creates a refuge that is at one with the energy of the Northern California woods
by KATHY SLOAN
I was driving around Mill Valley, California, one rainy day in 1999 when I discovered this property for sale. The driveway was so steep.
I didn’t know if my car would make it, and I found the owners sweeping water out of their living room. Hardly ideal omens, but I fell in love with the land. There were too many redwoods and pines to count!
The architect, Jonathan Feldman, integrated the cabins right into the landscape. The earth literally hugs the art studio where my husband works, and the pine cladding on the exterior references the surroundings.
The yoga studio is lower down the hillside, beneath the trees. I go there in the morning, when the light is soft. Jori Hook, the landscape architect, planted the green roof with succulents—they don’t like full sun, either. The design of it was based on the idea of a handmade quilt. Ficus vines cover an area near the entryway, which provides insulation while rooting the building to the setting (though I don’t let the vines get too unruly!).
The landscape of nearby Mount Tamalpais was the inspiration for the manzanita, lupine, and poppies planted around the cabins. Native plants thrive in the redwood-depleted soil; they need little water and almost no fertilizer. In addition to those, I’ve lined the footpaths on the property with fragrant botanicals: daphne, white azalea, jasmine. The scent of morning glory perfumes the sunrise, and night-blooming jasmine releases its fragrance in the twilight.
Sound is as lovely as scent here. We’re so secluded that all we hear is the wind through the trees, the creek, and the birds. Animals roam through frequently, so I’m committed to keeping the garden and land pesticide-free. I sprinkle eggshells around the plants to keep the snails at bay. I fertilize with organic mulch. Once you tap into the specialness of a place, preserving its beauty is paramount. My goal was to be in complete harmony with the natural setting.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DOMINIQUE VORILLON
The green roof insulates the yoga studio and catches rainwater. I work on it often and in the garden daily, mostly weeding and pruning. Giving plants a buzz cut, so to speak, in the dormant winter boosts their energy reserves for new growth come spring. But for me, cutting back the plants isn’t just practical; it’s meditative and also metaphorical. When you prune what you don’t need, what remains flourishes.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE FLETCHER
So that we can climb up and down the hillside, my landscape designer, Jori Hook, created stairs made of generously sized stones. Strategically placed boulders create a place to sit. Moss and lichen flourish on their surfaces, and the surrounding plants benefit from the growth-enhancing nitrates that the fungi add to the soil.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE FLETCHER
The art studio’s curved roof echoes the slope of nearby Mount Tam, while the windows are designed to frame trees that anchor the property. The skylights allow sunlight to flood the space.
Source: http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/home/life-trees-house-tour
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Nowadays, people prefers to live in forest, and near the greens as they do not want to have the hustle city life which they grew up in because it is very stressful and very unhealthy for their body and mind. I’m amazed with the idea of forest house, incrediably built in the deep forest, with amazing architecture and innovatively studied landscape. I can feel the peace of mind by just looking at the picture. With the huge amount of trees, bushes and plants, it makes the environment looks calm, cooling and less polluted.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article, this house is extremely unique indeed a beautiful place to stay. It is best to be recommended for people who likes to spend short holiday and for those to love to have a peaeceful meditation.
https://bit.ly/2OpVydr
A beautiful forest house , landscape and amazing architectural been built in the forest. A peaceful surrounding one can even feel, looking at the pictures. Living in such a environment will definitely , calm our mind and will remind us of the importance of our natural environment. The harmony and freshness of the forest scent is incredible for us to have a breath . Living in green environment is every one’s dream, a way from a hectic city’s life. It is the sanctuary away from the stresses of modern living. Kechara Forest Retreat have them all a place for retreat, meditation and relaxation after a hard day work.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
What an amazing and beautiful house build in the heart of the forest.Nature is the perfect classroom to learn to live in peace and happiness.
Those who truly love nature preserve it and integrate their architecture with nature.This is what makes real beautiful inspiring living among nature.Thank for sharing nice article.
Dear Rinpoche,
KFR has something like this and even more~ KFR is able to support its community spiritually ✳️. Something that can last from one lifetime to another lifetime.
“But for me, cutting back the plants isn’t just practical; it’s meditative and also metaphorical. When you prune what you don’t need, what remains flourishes.” ~ yes, this is very true. It’s a job that nourishes our soul.
This article reminds me that living in an environment that can support us spiritually is the best~
Building a simple eco-friendly house and live peacefully in tune with nature is everyone dream. The development of mankind has been intertwined with that of nature and wildlife. I could imagine waking up in the early morning surrounded by nature with fresh air, sounds of insects, birds singing and so forth. Looking at the nature surrounding of that house , it really amazing , well designed to suits the owner. I will love to take a break from city life and experience the quite environment.
Well I think Kechara Forest Retreat have all the those amazing nature surroundings for anyone .
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing,
Big trees, shrubs everywhere, clean air, natural light, quiet except for the sounds from nature, middling humidity, what else would one ask for in a dream home?
A really great and peaceful place of our own to getaway from the noise and stress from work.i wouldn’t mind staying here for the weekends for a break to getaway from the noise and can also do my meditation in peace. Thanks for the sharing Rinpoche 🙂
Simply beautiful! Fresh air, silence, and alive! It’s just remarkably peaceful when we willing to join the mother nature.
However, there are things that we need to take note if we’re going to live within the forest, etc., location of stay, place to obtain food & water, wild animals, and contactable with the city during emergency cases arise, and more.
Some of these might able to apply for people who are staying in the city. If we are able to foresee the consequences before building a home, and find ways to prevents it, thus, any home would be just a better place to live.
I love this house built to mould into the landscape of redwood and pine trees. So environmentally friendly and natural. The effort that goes into maintaining the house is therapeutic as Kathy claims, I would say almost meditative. Definitely an ideal place for retreat that I wouldn’t mind being in. Thank you for sharing Rinpoche and it will certainly be refreshing for the body and mind to be in this kind of setting.
What an amazing house built in the heart of the forest and integrated into nature, breath taking to say the least. I do think we are missing out to have such a close connection to nature, by living mostly in the cities. Being surrounded by the beauty is both inspiring and takes our heart to a whole new level, and perfect for spiritual practice. The roof is PERECT!
What a breathtakingly beautiful house this is!
It may not be a very big house compared to what others could have built with a piece of land that size but what matters I guess isn’t how big the house is but how close it is to Mother Nature.
This house is as close to nature as it is being literally hugged by soil.
I really like how the house owner really went all out to conceptualize and went the extra mile to build and maintain a house.
It is definitely not easy to maintain and take care of all the plants and fauna there and it requires a lot of time and patience to do so.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing!
What a beautiful, magical home in the forest. Initially, I thought about how much maintenance is involved with fertilising the plants and weeding and pruning, but then I realised a similar amount of maintenance goes into concrete and steel buildings too. Those rust, crack, mould over time. Their maintenance in fact isn’t really maintenance; it’s basically fighting the elements to slow down the march of time and the degeneration of the building.
Maintenance of this house on the other hand, involves growing and constructing something. It is much more harmonious with nature and makes use of the natural elements instead of fighting them. I wish Malaysia had the weather, and architectural and construction know-how to develop something like this!
This is such a beautiful house, it’s not very big and simple. Mother nature is the best designer, with a little creativity and care from mankind, nature will always surprise us with her ‘magical touch’.
This house was built with a lot of care, effort, commitment and it is definitely one of those dream houses that any nature lover including myself would love to have hehe…
I really love the peacefulness this house exudes, it makes people just want to go there and enjoy the sound of wind in trees or rustling leaves, the warm sunlight and total isolation from the busy city life.
A lot of thought has been put in to designing this house which blends in with the contours and landscape of the property. It looks as though the house is “part” of the forest almost like a modern version of a cave.
Just looking at the pics, I can feel the peace and tranquility there. I believe when we work with nature and incorporate it in the spaces we reside, it automatically soothes the body and mind. Throw in the moderately cooling and dry climate of Northern California, you’ve got heaven!
It is really eye opening to see how the designer, architects and landscapers as well as the home owner use the works of Nature to create this masterpiece! Nature is perfect in itself and always finds a way to balance itself and be in complete harmony with every existing element. Nature is the perfect classroom to learn to live in peace, happiness and abundance.
The best landscapes are not the man-made ones but the ones nature created. One of our biggest sin is destroying nature. When we buy land anywhere, we tend to remove nature, build our artificial abode then cover it with man-made landscape to make it look green and natural again.
Those who truly love nature preserve it and integrate their architecture with nature. This is what makes real beautiful inspiring living among nature. To live among nature is not as simple as looking at green scenery from inside protected glass windows or going out to smell the fresh air. Nature has its own way, plants grow, rain falls, wind blows and among nature are all kinds of insects and animals.
To live with harmony with nature is to live in harmony with its natural habitat and inhabitants. This requires a lot of learning, acceptance, appreciation and respect for them. One thing about nature is it reciprocate in kind.