Erlebnest is a Breezy Open-Air Treehouse Retreat in Germany

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/treehouses/">Treehouses</a> come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a simple platform suspended in a tree to a home with full plumbing and electrical services. On the broad spectrum of treehouse design, the <a href="http://www.erlebnest.de/">Erlebnest</a> by German company <a href="http://www.cambium-gmbh.de/en/">Cambium GmBH</a> falls somewhere in the middle. Spotted by our friends over at <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/erlebnest-minimalist-treehouse-more-wire-wood.html">Treehugger</a>, the minimalist structure consists of a large, round, open-air covered platform for dining and lounging and a smaller tube-shaped sleeping area that floats next to the main platform. Together, they combine to form one of the most inviting treehouse retreats we've seen.

Cambium is a company based in German's Allgäu region that specializes in treehouse construction, suspended rope and bridge courses, and forest climbing equipment.

The Erlebnest is made of a steel frame with strips of larch wood forming the structure, and it blends into its wooded surroundings.

If the weather turns while you're in there, a large rain flap can be pulled down to protect you from the elements.

Because it has no walls, the 9-square-meter Erlebnest platform affords spectacular views of the surrounding forest.

The first Erlebnest has been installed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingen_am_Rhein">Bingen am Rhein</a>, and Cambium plans to build six more of them next year in Lake Constance.

The lounge area is big enough for a party of four, and the "cocoon" sleeping area features a king-size bed.