Enchanted Wood
A real tree that was taken down during the driveway installation is a centerpiece of the Enchanted Forest Treehouse in Union, Mo. “It was debarked, sanded, varnished and craned in through the roof,” and the treehouse was built around it.
All photos by Jeanne Miller Wood. Find her at jmillerwood.com & @jmw180 on Instagram.
Union Furniture & Flooring Makes B&B Owner’s Fairytale (and Yours!) Come True
Here at Union Furniture & Flooring, we have installed a lot of different flooring in a lot of different places, but we had a first last fall when we laid a wood-look vinyl by Mannington in the Enchanted Forest Treehouse just down Highway 50 from our store. You read that right — we installed flooring in a treehouse (more on that later). But this isn’t like any treehouse you ever climbed into as a child, unless it was in your dreams. The map says it’s in Union, MO, but the true location is a fairytale — yours, mine, everyone’s.
“It’s where the mermaids meet the fairies,” said Marsha Conley, the artist who envisioned and created the treehouse B&B with her husband, Darryl Moses.
The photos here don’t really do justice to the artistry on display around the treehouse and grounds. When you are standing there, immersed in the fantasy, it’s inspiring. You won’t be able to stop noticing the details. And the best part is that you discover them slowly:
Iron dragons holding flaming (solar) torches on the driveway, owls carved low into the headboard (so they are hidden behind the heated Ugg pillows), the Narnia-inspired wardrobe that you walk through to get to the mermaid-themed bathroom, fairy houses built into the side of the hand-painted fireplace . . . There’s also castle ruins, a waterfall spilling from a hobbit hole during wet weather, quests for discovery and too much more to list in words.
Marsha’s own hand-painted touches are everywhere. An artist at heart, she’s proud and excited for as many people as possible to see the treehouse. “It’s the first time since I had my studio in the ’80s that I’ve gotten to do art and share it with people.”
But she isn’t the only artist whose work is featured here. Marsha invited many fellow artists, including several local names, to help bring this fantasy to reality.
This hand-painted Narnia-inspired wardrobe leads to the mermaid-themed bathroom.
Four Years in the Making
Marsha selected the wood-look vinyl flooring by Mannington to use throughout the Enchanted Forest Treehouse because it was moisture resistant, durable and low maintenance.
Marsha remembers the day in the early 1990s when she bought the 7 1/2 -acre property in Union. It was actually a giant tree that she spotted and the potential for building a treehouse for her daughter that cinched the deal. Years later, as empty nesters, she and Darryl were inspired to build the treehouse B&B as a way to keep busy and do something fun. Marsha retired last year from her career as a surgical nurse at Mercy Hospital Washington.
The couple started planning for the treehouse B&B four years ago by clearing the lot and building the road access. “There was a 20-foot ditch there that we had to fill in,” Darryl said. “We spent two years stacking stones. The two of us did the whole thing.”
For the treehouse, they selected two white oaks, each around 100 years old based on their size (roughly 36 inches in circumference), to be the centerpiece of the structure. They had an arborist from Craig’s Tree Service confirm the health of the trees. Now he returns twice a year to give them deep root feedings, hormone treatments and vascular flushing to help prevent disease.
For the treehouse engineering, they teamed up with Charles Greenwood, a leader in the industry based out of Oregon. He worked with Haslag Steel in Washington to create the steel supports for the treehouse, Marsha said, stressing that, believe it or not, the structure is not damaging the trees. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
“The weight of the treehouse actually strengthens the trees,” she explained, likening it to a healed bone. “It builds a callus around the metal, so it’s actually stronger than it started. The tree will actually reinforce the metal as it grows.”
500 Square Feet & Nearly Maintenance-Free Flooring
A sturdy staircase leads up to the treehouse from the driveway. No worries about climbing a rickety wooden rung ladder nailed into the tree. Darryl and his uncle, Nathan Moses, built the staircase, as well as the deck and entire treehouse platform. Marsha designed the floorplan.
The interior space is just under 500 square feet, which is perfect for two people. There is only one queen-sized bed, after all.
The proximity to nature like you’ve never experienced it is one of the main selling features of the treehouse. As you walk through the etched glass front door, the tree is the first thing that greets you. You see it through the window. There are two porches where you can sit right next to the tree. If you’re lucky, there may be a critter or two hanging out in one of the knots. Tree frogs are common during warmer weather and there is a resident squirrel that runs around the tree canopy. “Every customer has pictures of the squirrel!” Marsha remarked.
Much of the furniture and accent features were made from a salvaged walnut tree. The bed frame was made from wood taken from the property, and the tree displayed inside the house is a real tree that was taken down during the driveway installation. “It was debarked, sanded, varnished and craned in through the roof,” Darryl explained. “Then we build the treehouse around it.” Now wrapped in twinkle lights and embellished with faux greenery, it stretches from the floor next to the bed up to the cupola.
The wood-look vinyl flooring that we installed runs throughout the entire treehouse. It is both beautiful and functional. Marsha selected it primarily because it is moisture resistant and durable.
“With the tub inside, the hot tub outside and the potential for drinks being spilled, we needed something that could hold up to all of that,” she said. “The weight of the flooring was important too. We had to keep that in mind, with it being a treehouse.”
Scavenger Hunt & Other Activities
Guests are treated to a scavenger hunt, if they want to participate. When they register, they select one of three themes — relaxation, rejuvenation or love. Marsha leaves a series of clues and instructions for them to complete a quest.
“My goal is to take you out of real life and put you into a fanciful experience. You don’t have to be in Union, Missouri. You can fantasize that you are anywhere . . . The surroundings take you away from your everyday normal and when you come here, you can’t help but just sit and decompress. Soak in the tub or the hot tub, eat some snacks, go for a hike outside, explore the property.”
Guests are also given choices when it comes to the food. Breakfast is included, unless you opt out, but you can choose how you want it. And there are options for dinner too.
“Really, it’s just a matter of how can I make you the happiest you can be and help you get away from your work, from your troubles. That’s my goal,” said Marsha.
