In case you weren?t already daydreaming about escaping to a peaceful oasis far away from the worries of your everyday life, looking at photos of this treehouse resort in Tala, India, will really push you over the edge. When we?re stressed to the max, it?s easy to forget that places like this even exist, but they?re real ? albeit just as threatened by climate change as anywhere else (thankfully, most of this coastal region avoided catastrophic damage during the recent South Asian floods, which claimed thousands of lives elsewhere in the country). “Tala Tree Resort” stands as a gorgeous example of the ways in which existing trees can be incorporated into new construction projects.

Designed by Architecture BRIO, a Mumbai-based firm focusing on sustainable, environmentally sensitive projects, “Tala” is a forest retreat perched on a cliff, surrounded by a hilly 160-acre property. It?s located just a short distance from the Kuda caves, an important cultural site consisting of fifteen Buddhist caves that were excavated in the first century B.C.E. Tourists coming through the area are often visiting as part of a spiritual pilgrimage, so it seems fitting to build tranquil and reflective dwellings with an enhanced connection to nature here.
The house’s organic qualities, including its thatched roof, engender a sense of harmony with the surrounding landscape. The walls are all glass, and they’re complemented by sheer white curtains that can be pu...