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Many kidswhether they grow up in an urban jungle or on a large plot of sprawling land in the countrysideat some point envision escaping to live in a secluded treehouse, tucked up high beneath a leafy canopy away from the rest of the world. But Brian Kelley may be one of a select few who managed to turn that dream into a reality.
One-half of the duo Florida Georgia Line, Kelley and wife Brittney Marie, who wed last December, knew after purchasing their 32-acre property in fall of 2013 that such a whimsical addition was imminent. "Right when we first saw it, we wanted to build a treehouse," the 29-year-old singer-songwriter says. "We reached out to the Animal Planet team, and within a few weeks I did a casting Skype session. It moved pretty fast after thatbasically, the house was built in 28 days once it was started."
That's when Pete Nelson, builder and host of the network's popular Treehouse Masters show, came in and worked his magic. The result was a two-story, one-of-a-kind masterpiece full of reclaimed wood and matching the style of the couple's existing home, using unique pieces like an oversized circle bed in the master bedroom and a cow hide rug in the living room from local spots such as Antique Archaeology. In fact, the Kelleys love it so much that they plan to retreat to the treehouse when guests come to visit and give them the main.
"The designers put their heart and soul into it. They really blended things that we wanted with things that we'd love. Every detail is incredible how much time it took," Kelley says. "It's remarkable. I can't believe it's ours. We're so blessed to have it."
Connected to the main 1,500-square-feet house via a winding breezeway, the treehouse has everything one could need to survive, including a full recording studio. "You can sleep in there, record in there, make coffee in there," Kelley says. "We just wanted a spot where we could get away and be creative." Even their trio of German shepherds is allowed in there to hang out, and the Kelley envisions the outdoor deck playing host to many a party in the future.
For this Florida native, there's no better spot to live. "We had around five acres of swampland in the woods on the river for the majority of my childhood," Kelley recalls. "We're hunter and gatherers. [Our property now] is basically like a big bowl. I love to go down to the holler and just check everything out." Kelley adds that the land is rife in wildlife, so he doesn't even need to venture beyond the property line to do a little hunting, one of his favorite pastimes.
While Florida Georgia Line debuted a new album, Anything Goes (Republic Nashville), this fall, Kelley says the treehouse will likely be the site of many a brainstorming or songwriting session for the next. "We're already starting writing and doing vocals over there. You can't go in that place without feeling inspired."
Don't expect the construction to end with the treehouse either; Kelley envisions much more out of his large, secluded holler cut into the slope of a mountain. "We want to build a gym on the other side of the propertysomething that fits the wood with a lot of windows," Kelley says. "We are trying to create our own little compound!"
