Filed under: Fun Stuff, Design, etc, News & Trends
The New York Times recently profiled parents who spend extravagantly on decadent playhouses for their children."Childhood is a precious and finite thing ... And a special playhouse is not the sort of thing you can put off until the economy gets better," Barbara Butler, a builder whose houses sell for $54,000 on average, told the Times.
And many of the subjects interviewed concur: One couple dropped nearly $248,000 on a treehouse and connected fortlike structure.
The Times rounded up several companies that offer myriad fantastical constructions for kids. We've taken a closer look at some of the most over-the-top that are on offer.
Lilliput Play Homes offers this "Grand Victorian" design for $19,999. Baby grand piano? Check. Handmade kitchen stove? Check. Skylight and bay window? Check, and check.
Barbara Butler's "Rosefield Cottage" boasts a hand-carved and stained exterior, real glass windows, electricity and a fully furnished interior.
Did we mention there's patio furniture?
La Petite Maison's most popular model features a wrap-around porch and loft. The house itself presumably costs much more, but for $195 you can buy its architectural plans.
Artistically inclined tots will appreciate the mid-century modern design of Smart Playhouse's "Illinois" model.
And finally, this elaborate structure from Posh Tots consists of a lookout tower, rock climbing walls, a clubhouse, "fortress bridge" and slide. The price? $122,730.