Saturday, December 17, 2005

IDEAL HIDEAWAY

Neiman Marcus comes out with a Christmas catalog every year, which suggests special gifts for those who have everything. Well, I don’t have everything; besides, I wouldn't know where to put them all. But once in a while, especially on Christmas holiday season, I'd fantasize about an awesome gift. So, Santa, if you should happen to read this, I wouldn’t mind getting one of these for Christmas! Oh, yeah, make that complete with a home theater system so I could watch the DVD edition of the new King Kong movie when it comes out.

If your childhood included a tree house, it was likely a simple structure of 2' x 4's that Dad hammered together to provide a leaf-shrouded hiding place with a bird's eye view of the back yard. Artisan/builder Roderick Romero believes adults should have a similar getaway— but his vision is as different from the typical tree house as redwood is from boxwood.

A former musician (with the 1990s indie rock band Sky Cries Mary), Romero designs and constructs breathtakingly naturalistic sculptures that nestle into branches as if they had grown there. The self-taught designer has built more than a dozen tree houses from California to Tuscany, for a list of clients that includes Donna Karan and Sting.

His first creation was a nest-like construction for an art show in the Pacific Northwest, but he has gone on to develop remarkably diverse, site-specific environments that rest on a system of steel rods (called the Garnier Limb). Romero utilizes indigenous wood from naturally fallen trees whenever possible and has incorporated musical elements for some of his branch dwellers.

Each structure is unique, and all embrace the majesty of the natural world. If your loved one has practically everything, this might make a wonderful gift.

Prices start at $50,000.00

For more information, check out Neiman Marcus

posted by Señor Enrique at 11:29 AM