Carolin Friese has won the interior design and renovations category in the 2025 Biophilic Design Awards run by the Living Future Institute of Australia.
Her ‘Tall Tree House’ has already won four regional and two national awards, but she considers this one’s very special as she designed the home with biophilic principles — meaning ‘connecting with nature’ — in mind.
"Biophilic design is about reconnecting people with nature through the built environment.
"It’s not just about natural materials, it’s about creating spaces that reflect the rhythms, texture and sensory richness of the natural world."
Friese’s designed it to let in as much natural light as possible, with the triple-glazed larch windows also placed to maximise lake and mountain views.
"The daylight rhythms and the seasonal rhythms change the building and the way you experience it.
"Even the shadows in the house mimic tree patterns."
Upstairs is a living green wall which also casts organic-shaped patterns.
The house has been thermally modelled, Friese says, to comply with the low-energy certification of a passive house.
She invented what she calls a ‘balloon frame’ building technique, so none of the interior framing is structural, meaning you can move the interior around to suit your changing requirements.
The biophilic design, she says, is "all about helping people feel more grounded, relaxed and connected to their surroundings — like nature is part of everyday life, not just something outside the front door".
She adds the design has also enhanced her and her partner’s daily lives, including improving their sleep patterns.
"With increased exposure to sunlight and consistent indoor temperature, we’ve experienced fewer sick days."
