"The treehouse vibe sets the tone for the whole property. It helps us feel grounded with nature, and the thousand peregrinas that now make up a green wall all around also make you feel like you stepped through the hidden door into The Secret Garden," Nathalie explains. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We were inspired by A-frame cabins and wanted our 950-square-foot cabin to feel light and open," she describes of the renovation. "The original windows hardly allowed enough light in, so we tore down the face of the casita and replaced it with floor-to-ceiling windows." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We added huge glass sliding doors as the entrance, focusing on the gorgeous greenery encompassing the casita. We sourced locally for all of the wood. We renovated the kitchen, designed a custom-built island, and added top kitchen appliances." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
They also added comforts like A/C, glass windows, hot water, fast WiFi, king-size beds, duvet covers, TVs, and basic furniture. "We changed the thatched, leaky roof for a tiled one, splashed some white paint on the walls, and moved on to the backyard." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We have at least over a 100 books scattered throughout, keeping our kids and ourselves busy depending on our moods. There's Pachinko, the illustrated Harry Potter novels, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the Momofuku Milk BarCookbook, Wuthering Heights, Lonely Planet travel books, the Babysitters Club graphic novels, Lady Midnight, Little Women, and dozens of Little Golden Books," Nathalie explains. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"The cabin's use of natural and local woods (bamboo, teak, guayacan blanco, etc.) keeps everything earthy and warm. The tall windows keep it modern and airy," Nathalie explains. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We know our kids will one day go to college and that after that, it will be easier to keep our home organized and neat. Right now, we want our decor to foster that warm feeling, and we want la Casita to make our kids feel at ease, safe, cherished, and motivated to be themselves," admits Nathalie. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"One of their favorite things is that we've put up their artwork rather than fancy paintings on the walls. We encourage everyone to use their home decor to showcase their kids' imagination and build their confidence. As parents, we have the opportunity to do so much. We think these little things matter and make a 'home' as opposed to a 'house.'" Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"The 'artwork' in the main bedroom are paintings by our 5- and 7 year-old children, set in light pink wooden frames. The print in the main bedroom is a VW van amidst palm beaches. Everything is meant to be playful and fun and relaxed." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We love the 'cozy' trend for cabins throughout the States, and that’s what we aimed for, with over 100 of our family’s books propped up on every shelf and little knickknacks everywhere," Nathalie describes. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We wanted everyone to appreciate the backyard area the way that we did, so we added a pool with a wading area (perfect for small children or adults that like tanning), a shaded pergola (with the roof protectively wrapped around a Neem tree), a full outdoor kitchen/dining table/sofa, tanning chairs, a Bocce field, swings, and a hammock perfect for lounging the day away." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"Our big white hammock sets the tone for the slowing of time, and as we swing on the hammock, all we see is a canopy of green, which we like to imagine is the top canopy layer that you'd find in the Amazonian rainforest." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
Nathalie explains that their favorite room is actually the outdoor area. "We start our day with yoga under the pergola. We eat breakfast facing our gorgeous tall Neem trees," Nathalie begins. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We all keep an eye on this red flowering tree in the corner because that's a favorite that is visited every morning by two or three hummingbirds. We point at the different butterfly colors that we see hovering around us. Once, we even saw a butterfly peek its way out of a cocoon hung on a peregrina just a foot from our breakfast table." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We read on the hammock. We push our kids on the swings. We have Bocce competitions. We play mini tennis on the artificial grass. Our kids ride their bikes in circles in the backyard around the outdoor suite." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We dive in the pool, sit on the lounge chairs to dry, pop back in the pool to tan on the wading area, rinse off in the outdoor shower, jump back into the pool to play Marco Polo." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
Nathalie says her husband, Gregory, "loves the outdoor shower, fresh air, green views everywhere." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"One of our greatest challenges was staying true to the soul of the Casita de Bambu and of Ayampe, that sits at the foot of a lush green forest. We opted for a green, living fence all around comprised of over a thousand peregrinas." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"We also planted hundreds of different kinds of plants throughout the backyard — adding to the biodiversity that the region is so famous for." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
"Our reward? The daily sight of hummingbirds, the melody of all types of other birds, the flutter of brightly colored butterflies, and the Neem trees’ bright green foliage swaying across the blue sky." Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
“The impetus for the purchase of this second home was, like for so many others, the pandemic,” begins Nathalie Levy, who along with husband, Gregory, purchased this 950-square-foot cabin in Ayampe, Ecuador, for themselves and their young children. “During that time of fear and uncertainty, we had chafed at the lack of fresh air in our Key Biscayne apartment. We had wanted distance from others, but in a way that we could be surrounded by nature.”
Nathalie explains that a big focal point of the renovation was actually the "painstakingly-tended green backyard," and the gigantic windows they added helped center the yard. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
“Both Greg and I are avid travelers from a young age, having lived in over a handful of different countries each and traveled to dozens,” Nathalie continues. “We wanted our children to benefit from their inherited wanderlust, not just by traveling routinely to new places, but also by having a second home somewhere that was so starkly different from the perfectly, deliciously safe cookie-cutter first-world life we live in Key Biscayne, Florida. So we decided that our second home should be in Ayampe, Ecuador, a relatively undeveloped and totally unspoiled, raw beach town we had fallen in love with. Greg first fell in love with it when he visited in 2012, and I had fallen in love with it when I first visited in the ’90s.”
"Our cabin treehouse renovation captures the essence of why people come to Ayampe or why they leave any big city — to put down their phones, spend time in nature, walk barefoot in the backyard, play with friends or family, breathe fresh air, and be enveloped in a green garden," explains Nathalie. Credit: Nathalie LevyCredit: Nathalie Levy
“So when we purchased the casita in Ayampe, we bought it for the lot only, with a vision to start over and build from scratch. We thank our stars every day that we decided not to tear down this unique treehouse cabin. The casita is a far cry from what we purchased — a hippie cabin on a muddy, barren lot — save for a peppering of a dozen achingly tall Neem trees, just a three minutes’ walk to the beach.”
While it was very close to the beach, it was missing many creature comforts. “It lacked glass windows, hot water, sufficient lighting, air conditioning, a real roof, a proper kitchen, or an enjoyable backyard of any kind,” Nathalie describes, explaining that everyone they knew suggested tearing the casita down and starting fresh and “building a concrete modern vacation home with floor-to-ceiling windows.” That was even what the couple originally intended. But the couple saw promise and instead settled on renovating what was already there.
“But the moment we visited the casita, we saw what we had missed in the real estate pictures — this was a treehouse! The former owners had elevated the cabin several feet off the ground to avoid digging up all the strong Neem tree roots. If we were to build our planned vacation home, it would mean killing these magnificently tall trees,” Nathalie explains.
“So we did an about-face on our plans, embracing the treehouse cabin vibes while renovating the interior and exterior, step by step. After a serious and careful revamping, the casita de Bambu now lives up to its potential — it exudes light and coziness, it provides the perfect amount of comfort to please any first-world travelers, and its green oasis is indescribable and mesmerizes anyone who visits.”
Our only life goal is to spend time with our young kids. We know how fleeting these years are, and we strive to find constant opportunities to connect with them. We enjoy each other the most when there are no distractions and we are in a relaxed, cozy setting, and la casita de Bambu exudes that type of energy.
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