10 BEAUTIFUL TENTS

This week, we needed a beautiful break. Enjoy the best of BeautifulNow Summer with 10 BEAUTIFUL TENTS, revisited form Summer 2013.

To truly experience the outdoors, you have to brave the elements and spend a night under the stars. We’ve compiled a collection of the most beautiful tents and outdoor dwellings that you can find right now so you can revel in nature with style.

1. Grasslands

English tentmaker Fieldcandy injects beautiful splashes of color into their tent creations. Grasslands designed by Jonathan Zawada, was inspired by native grasslands. To achieve the stunning visuals, Zawada first created the scenery with 3d software and then digitally painted the colors and textures onto the canvas.

2. What A Melon

Also from Fieldcandy, but designed by Luke Bonner, this fruity tent is affectionately named What A Melon. Doesn’t it just make your mouth water? Not just a pretty tent, it’s smart too! Just step inside, and the outer canvas will shield you from the heat while the inner breathable tent moves moisture out for a dry nights sleep.

3. Soulpad 5000-Ease Bell Tent

SoulPad Cotton Tents don’t sully the landscape with man made materials. For those who want a “purer haven” the SoulPad is made from 100% cotton and features a very spacious interior that is held up by a single central pole. Just throw in some rugs and cushions and you’ll never want to go back home.

4. Opera

Inspired by the Sydney Opera House, Opera combines spaciousness, stunning design, and luxury. The tent extends from a small trailer that can be towed by cars and trucks. Opera features two electronically adjustable beds, a boiler, exterior shower, a heating system, ceramic toilet, and top-loading refrigerator. This tent, built in the Netherlands, epitomizes luxury and style. Click here to see a video slideshow of Opera.

5. Expandable Mobile Camper

Designed by renowned contemporary architect and design connoisseur, Eduard Bohtlingk, this expandable mobile camper increases in floorspace nearly threefold when the two canvas sides are brought down. Inside, there is a bedroom, a kitchen with appliances, and our favorite, a sitting room with a transparent covering for those incredible places where you just need to soak up the view.

6. Tentsile's Stingray Tent

Tentsile's Stingray Tent gives you a bird's eye view as it keeps you elevated in the trees with its creative triple-point design. The unique suspension mechanism allows for some interesting nights. You can sleep above any surface you want (a pond for example), so long as there are enough trees around. The tent is sturdy enough to safely hold up three adults and their gear, yet the entire thing only weighs 14 pounds.

7. Cocoon Tree

The Cocoon Tree, a spherical tent, supported by 24 individual rods, also allows you to sleep suspended above the ground. Kick back in the large, circular bed and flip open the hatches to admire the view. And after you spend the night bundled comfortably in your cocoon, you’ll emerge in the morning with your spirits elevated to new heights -- your mind and body feeling as light as a butterfly.

8. The Decagon Link Station

The Logos Decagon tent is not only visually beautiful, it also embodies the beauty of shared experiences. Each section of the tent can be connected with others, to create an infinitely expanding shelter. One central hub can expand into a multi-directional, multi-colored campsite, bringing people together as few other tents can.

9. The Wedge

The Wedge tent is a new, inflatable 2 person tent created by Heimplanet following the success of its popular Cave Tent. Like its predecessor, the Wedge is designed to be very easy to erect, and intuitive to handle. The secret lies in the inflatable geodesic frame, which the company calls the IDG, Inflatable Diamond Grid, and their patented Multi Chamber Safety System. The tent is made primarily of nylon and Heimplanet says the overall design was inspired by nature... Which is completely believable considering the tent looks like a glowing sea animal.

10. Bowlus Road Chief

The Bowlus Road Chief is one of the most beautiful caravans on the road today. It certainly is the shiniest! Super comfortable and well made. It features a king sized bed, bathroom (with a shower), dining room and kitchenette. The shiny exterior is made of riveted “aircraft-grade” riveted and bonded aluminum, which won’t be blown away like some of the other tents here.

Read more about Beautiful Summer, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Summer in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 08.10.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Photo: Courtesy of Like Cool. Portaledge.
2. Photo: Courtesy of Fieldcandy. Grasslands designed by Jonathan Zawada
3. Photo: Courtesy of Fieldcandy. What A Melon designed by Luke Bonner.
4. Photo: Courtesy of SoulPad. Soulpad 5000-Ease Bell Tent.
5. Photo: Courtesy of Arch2o. Opera designed by Your Suite in Nature.
6. Courtesy of Bohtlingk Architecture. Expandable Mobile Camper designed by Eduard Böhtlingk.
7. Photo: Courtesy of Silodrome. Tentsile's Stingray Tent.
8. Photo: Courtesy of Cocoon Tree. Cocoon Tree.
9. Photo: Courtesy of Gizmag. The Decagon Link Station by Logos.
10. Photo: Courtesy of Bless This Stuff. The Wedge by HEIMPLANET.
11. Photo: Courtesy of Bowlus Road Chief.  Bowlus Road Chief.