Designers

Trade Secret: A North Van Treehouse Sets Sail with Nautical Style

Designer Kathleen Lin transforms a backyard hideaway into a shiplap-lined “ship” complete with salvaged portholes, helm wheels and built-in bunks.

By Western Living /
Janis Nicolay

The Look: Nautical Nook

Designed by Kathleen Lin, Kathleen Lin Designs, Vancouver

This treehouse in North Vancouver is nautical-chic, full of whimsy…  and a far cry from the ramshackle backyard clubhouses most of us remember from our youth. But  interior designer Kathleen Lin couldn’t help but apply her talent for fashioning creative, functional spaces when tasked with building a hideaway for a trio of kids, aged four to nine. The shiplap-lined playspace features real porthole windows, repurposed from boats; salvaged nautical wheels are mounted on the wall and bow-like deck. It’s the ideal spot for afternoons jam-packed with imagination play, or (thanks to bunk beds) a spot to dream about future adventures on the high seas and beyond. All aboard!

Western Living

Western Living

The editorial team at Western Living loves nothing more than a perfectly designed space, place or thing: and we’re here to tell you about it. Email us your pitches at [email protected].