Sleeping under the trees

With this house's many different levels, lofted ceilings and the catwalk that connects the bedrooms above the main floor, there's a definite feeling of living in a tree house.

When I sit at the computer in my office loft, I look down essentially three levels from the highest point of the house to the kitchen area below. Looking out the windows, I'm parallel to the top of the tallest trees. The height, and the narrow stairs leading up to the loft, just add to that tree house feeling.

I decided to further add to that feeling with the just completed loft railing. Rather than traditional spindles I cut birch plywood out in the silhouette of tree branches. The photo here shows the view I see when laying down in my bed. (The third photo is the "before" view.)

From below, you get the feeling you're looking up through the trees. When sitting in the loft, you feel like you're sitting in the top of a tree looking down through the branches to the ground below.

My daughter was a huge help in creating this piece. She drew out the branches on the plywood for me. I cut the piece out using a Dremmel-like tool.

I had to look several different places to find these newel posts. I was suprised to discover them at Menards because I'm not usually a fan of the store. I liked these because they are much smaller than the traditional posts and don't distract quite as much from the silhouette.

Even at that I cut about 5 inches off the bottom so that the height and overall size of the railing didn't become too overpowering.

In the end, you have the feeling of sleeping outdoors without worrying about getting drenched when it rains.