This Treehouse Home In The Clouds Is A Total Dream: Let's Take A Tour

On the San Juan Islands, about an hour ferry ride from Washington state, you'll find a steep dirt road that leads up to Kimberly Garner's mountaintop cabin in the trees. Transforming the remote, off-grid residence into a home fit for her young family—during the pandemic, no less—was a challenge that Garner turned onto its head and into an opportunity. She set out to use the "language of home" (which Garner calls NeuroSpatial Linguistics in her own design practice), to create a space that embodied a more playful, laidback, and inviting way of living. And if this tour of her island home in the clouds is any indication, she totally succeeded.

The home was built in the 1990s, and everything about it said so. I wasn't working during the lockdown and the demands of at-home schooling, so I had no budget in the sense there was no coffer for remodeling. Our renovation was more a process of excavation and subtraction than lavish finishes.

What I did have was a healthy dose of determination, a fishing boat, and a dear builder friend who struck up the best of trades. He got the boat and I got my little dream treehouse! The kids and I did a lot of the labor. I think the physicality of destruction really helped them channel what couldn't be expressed with words during such a globally wild time. We worked together with sledgehammers and crowbars removing the old story and making space for our own. It was such a beautifully cathartic process. These walls are infused with our hopes, dreams, and intentions.

(Editor's note: To connect with Kimberly to learn more about her design work, visit her Instagram or website.)

In my life, I knew I wanted a greater sense of play, ease, and connection, so everything in our home communicates those values. For example, I painted the subfloor kelly green for a few reasons: Green is my favorite color and also speaks to growth, possibility, renewal, and play, and offers a seamless connection to the outdoors…and it was also just so much fun giving myself permission to be bold! A hammock hangs in the living room, which reflects more of that laidback ease I wanted to infuse throughout. Every space in our little home holds some symbolic reflection of our aspirations and values — reminders of what we love about our life and ourselves.

During the summer months, the windows are open all day and night, so the scents of grasses and warm earth move throughout the space. During the winter, the house smells of fir and cedar as wood is our primary source of heat. With the dark mornings, my day always begins with journaling by candlelight so I don't wake the kids. I love to light candles in winter and choose scents depending on my mood.

The oversized built-in kitchen nook pulls together all the intentions and all the feels I hold dear! It's cozy, and inviting, and anchors the space with that playful treehouse vibe. I've adorned it with my favorite textiles from Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Africa. It's a people magnet! I designed it to be big enough to accommodate sleepover space and gatherings around a table together. It's the ultimate snuggly, cheerful space that invites you in to sit with tea and take in the outside world.

The house is very much unfinished, just like us. We're a work in progress, ever-evolving, and always under construction. Our home broadcasts the same. I think there's something about the ease of it that offers a feeling of belonging and home.

My home feeds my spirit, echoing my values and aspirations. It supports my lifestyle and pushes me out of my comfort zone in the best ways. It cradles me when I hit the deck from physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. It's like a dear friend and companion comforting me at the end of a long day, reminding me of what I most love about myself and my life while encouraging the adventure of tomorrow.

To me, home is sacrosanct and one of the most significant relationships of our life. Home holds memory, reminding us of who we are and where we're going. Home acts as our steadfast companion, holding us through hardship and celebrating our triumphs.