1 of 5
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
2 of 5
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
3 of 5
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
4 of 5
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
5 of 5
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
Kaci and Waylon Richardet had a vision. A cluster of cedar trees on their 120-acre farm in Perryville, Missouri, served as the backdrop and inspiration for a cozy hideout for two—one that would sit more than 14 feet above the forest floor.
“It was on paper to a degree,” Waylon explains, “but whenever we would tell people, they were, like, 'Huh? You're going to build a treehouse?'”
But not just any treehouse. The TreeLoft at BaseCamp (BaseCamp is the name of their farm) is a luxurious under-the-radar getaway in Perryville, just 20 minutes from Ste. Genevieve and Missouri wine country, complete with a hot tub, a rain shower, a fire pit, and ultimate seclusion. There's no Wi-Fi or television, but a skylight (equipped with a solar-powered retractable window) directly above the king-sized bed invites the sun’s rays into the room, while floor-to-ceiling windows face directly into the forest.
Courtesy of Kaci and Waylon Richardet
Kaci says the TreeLoft was born from the couple’s love of exploration and adventure. “When we got engaged, we went out to Aspen, Colorado,” she says. “From then, we loved traveling. But we have four children, so for us to just pack up and go travel like we want to is really hard to do. We just wanted to bring a place locally for other people to feel like you're out of town, like you're traveling, or like you've come so far but you're really not that far at all.”
“The places out West that we've stayed at, they just have a special place in our heart and being able to provide that for others is what makes it all worth it,” Waylon says.
The TreeLoft is intended specifically as a getaway for couples, and the Richardets say they’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm from the diverse range of guests who have come to stay so far. Although they’ve only been open for a little over a month, the booking calendar is already filling upright through winter and beyond.
Waylon, who has a background in construction and owns a commercial floor covering company, drew up the plans and built out the house, while Kaci was in charge of interior design, selecting everything from colors and materials to furnishings. They describe The TreeLoft’s style as “mountain modern,” and also cite the Bolt Farm Treehouse retreat in Charleston, South Carolina, as an inspiration. “They have a Carolina vibe, to theirs, which is awesome, but we wanted it to feel like you’re in the mountains or somewhere out west,” Waylon says.
Like Bolt Farm, the TreeLoft is perched atop a number of large posts, and nestles seamlessly among the surrounding trees. Waylon says that it wasn’t structurally feasible to actually tie the cabin to the trees. “But you still want to get that elevated feel,” he says. “We wanted to meet in the middle.”
Kaci brought a minimalist sensibility to the design, grounded in clean lines and natural materials. “I wanted to go even more contemporary, but it's really hard to find materials like that around here. Certain woods and finishes are hard to find,” she says. The Richardets enlisted local craftsmen for the counters and shelves, as well as applying the finish to beams that were shipped in from eastern Maine. “It was fun,” Kaci says. “I enjoyed it. You don't know how it's going to turn out, you kind of pick it out as you go. I think it went well.”
The wall behind the bed features an arboreal backdrop, an idea Kaci got from an Airbnb they stayed in on their honeymoon. There’s a gas fireplace, which they picked up from a company in St. Louis. The cabin is flanked by two decks. On one side, the hot tub takes pride of place. The other side is the “coffee bar deck,” where a passthrough window links those in the kitchen with guests outside. “It gives it that indoor-outdoor feel—you can make coffee here and just sit out and enjoy it,” Waylon says.
The Richardets designed the cabin to be wheelchair friendly (though they stress that it hasn’t been fully ADA certified) with a long ramp to the entrance, walk-in shower, and adequately spaced doorways. They also try to take extra special care of guests with gestures like leaving s’mores and a bottle of wine. With personal touches like these, and the heart she has put into the design, Kaci says her hope is that guests will feel like they know the Richardets even if they don’t get to meet everyone who stays.
At the time of writing, the earliest bookings available for TreeLoft are in March of next year—and if the momentum continues, the Richardets say an expansion could be in the cards. It has long been a dream of theirs to have an Airbnb and provide a space for others. “Because it's not just for ourselves on our own farm, we can share it with other people,” Waylon says. “How beautiful is that?”
