Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that, during our trip to the west coast, we decided to spend two days in Canada. We spent the first day in Victoria because we were on Vancouver Island, and we decided to visit Vancouver Island because we wanted to spend the second day here (TA DA!):

It’s a treehouse! A beautiful, spherical treehouse!

I first read about Free Spirit Spheres a few years ago and it’s been a dream of mine to stay in one ever since. The spheres are the brainchild of Tom Chaudry, a former engineer with an incredible eye and mind for design. Each sphere is unique and a labor of love- since parts for spheres are few and far between, Tom creates and assembles the vast majority himself right on his property.

The spheres hang in a rainforest near Qualicum Bay. While they are very well tethered, they sway gently in the wind and are designed to integrate beautifully with the surroundings. When I booked a night in Eve, the first and smallest sphere at 9′ in diameter, I was excited for what lay within, but could never have envisioned this:

I thought I’d be roughing it in a treehouse, but instead found a little capsule of luxury. When we entered the sphere, it was instantly obvious that it’s the work of a genius. Each and every section of the sphere has been designed with such care and thought- on the left was a comfortable bed and on the right, a table with bench seats. Also inside: a large counter, drawers upon drawers, a heating system, a speaker system, windows that opened, a shade for privacy, an overhead shelf circling the top of the sphere, extra pillows, a water boiler, coffee and tea, etc., etc. All organized and tucked away in their own place, of course.

Oh, and “a snack upon arrival.” Snack? I think he meant feast.

After a very sound and comfortable sleep, this is what we awoke to:

And on top of it all, Tom is a nice, nice person. Before we checked out, he took us on a tour of the two other spheres on the property, Eryn and Melody. Each has its own personality and features. Melody actually has a Murphy bed that folds up to reveal a seating area that looks big enough for six!

Tom’s ultimate dream is to have dozens of spheres interconnected by walkways. As he points out, the spheres are the perfect way to spend time within the forest; since they’re elevated in the trees instead of sitting on the ground, they actually allow the understory of the forest to grow. And the spherical shape makes for a strong and durable structure that’s also relatively light (there are physics behind this but I won’t explain them.. because I can’t).

Unfortunately, there are land restrictions that only allow for three accommodations (i.e. spheres) in the area, so Tom is looking to relocate to a new space that allows him to set up more spheres.  In the meantime, he’s working on a few spheres commissioned for shipment to Europe.

Already, he’s sent one to France to be used as a young girl’s playhouse (lucky girl!) and will soon be sending four to Germany to be included as part of a larger outdoor adventure retreat.

If you’re interested in the construction of the spheres, click here for a slideshow and step-by-step explanations. It’s pretty unbelievable. I can’t wait to see what Tom comes up with next!