firm: riccardo barthel & c
site: florence, italy

Historical site that it is, Florence sees precious little new construction. But in the hills overlooking the Italian city is a charming structure that can only be described as contemporary. A tree house-complete with a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen-bears witness to a couple's long-held dream and designer Riccardo Barthel's ability to transform fantasy into reality.
When Barthel was building the couple's main house, in the 1980's, the plan entailed building a tree house for their two children to play in. However, that never happened at the time. Barthel takes up the narrative: "Years passed, and now the children are grown." So, reviving the concept, he also revised it. "The house to play in became a house for guests to stay in," he explains. 

Since the property had no tree with what he calls "the right character," not to mention the physical strength, he built a support structure of his own amid a coppice of pines and olives. His overall inspiration was the water tower, ubiquitous throughout the world.

For more info go to:
http://www.interiordesign.net/article/540293-Playing_House.php