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Virginia Treehouse Was Designed Around a Family’s Experience of Loss

The house was designed to serve as a peaceful refuge for a woman who had recently lost her husband and give her a sense of optimism and faith towards life.

By: THURSD. | 24-01-2024 | 4 min read
Architecture
Healing power of nature

US firm Robert Young Architects designed a pine-clad home on a forested hillside to provide immersive views of nature and a sense of optimism for a bereaved family. This is a story about the power nature has to heal hearts going through grief and know that without a doubt, plants can heal in any type of situation.

Virginia Treehouse Is Designed Around a Family’s Experience of Loss

The full-time residence is in a river valley in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. The house was designed to embody a 'sense of connectedness between architecture and landscape' and to serve as a peaceful refuge for Sue Deagle, who had recently lost her husband Mike. Sue has been living here since its completion in 2021 with her two children.

 

Virginia Treehouse was built for a family who went through loss
The pine-clad home by Robert Young Architects.

 

Deagle, who publishes a grief newsletter and website called 'The Luminist', was heavily involved in the design process to aid in her healing process. One thing is certain— she wanted plants and nature to surround the entire site. Why? For her, just looking at nature would make her feel a thousand times better instantly, they have an added psychological value to those going through a hard time or grief.

Nature's beauty has so much to offer and when you look at it, it can be very healing according to Sue. She hoped that creating a new home would help her and her family imagine a future with optimism, said Robert Young Architects, based in New York.

 

Outside view of the Virginia Treehouse surrounded by nature
Outside view of the Virginia Treehouse surrounded by nature

 

Having Nature Around Your Home Can Uplift Any Mood and Situation

What primarily defines this home is the glass design which allows the family to oversee nature in every way possible. The house is roughly L-shaped in plan and is made up of rectilinear volumes clad in dark-stained pine. The house is 483 square meters (5,200 square feet) in size, with three levels and a basement. The architects designed the house 'from the inside out' to provide views of nature.

 

Nature all around the house by Robert Young Architects

 

The interiors are configured in a way that choreographs movement through the house in relation to outside views according to the architects. Diagonal sight lines organize the layout and dynamically connect the interior spaces with the dense and varied woodlands beyond. The top level houses the primary bedroom suite and was designed to look like a 'forest aerie perched high in the tree canopy' to feel as if you're in healing heaven. The main level encompasses the communal spaces, along with an office, mudroom, and garage. Just off the living room is a furnished screened porch, which is lifted high above the ground by steel silts.

 

The living room in Virginia Treehouse
The living room in Virginia Treehouse by Robert Young Architects

 

Every Material Used for the Virginia Treehouse Has a Meaning

The interior is made up of earthy and industrial materials such as white oak, tile, and concrete. Oak surfaces convey warmth, while concrete elements authentically convey durability and strength, having a meaning behind every material that was used for the construction of the Virginia Treehouse.

 

Kitchen view full of trees and nature outside

 

Windows were strategically placed throughout the house to provide curated views of the landscape, and certain walls were left solid to obscure views of nearby structures. Who has stared at nature and instantly felt better? That is the healing and curing properties of nature by itself. The beauty of trees astonishes and gives life so much purpose that they allow you to start your healing process linearly and calmly without disturbances.

The view is anchored at the bottom of the valley by a floodplain and watercourse on a steep hill that backs up to a tributary stream of the Potomac River appropriately named Difficult Run for its many obstacles. The house was situated and designed to celebrate everything about these sensitive ecologies.

 

Outside facade of this architectural wonder with nature

 

Nature and Grief

Nature has long been considered important for people’s mental health. At least 70% of people have said that connecting with nature was important in terms of managing their mental health (especially during the pandemic). For those who are grieving, connectedness in nature can offer many benefits and aid healing such as:

 

One of the main rooms filled with views of trees

 

Read the article 'The Magic of Flowers and Plants' to read more insightful data as to why plants and flowers are natural healers. 

 

Photos by Frank Oudeman.

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