Cosy £100k den inspired by Bilbo Baggins wows at Chelsea Flower Show

Is that from Hobbitat? Cosy £100k hideaway inspired by JRR Tolkein’s Bilbo Baggins wows at the Chelsea Flower Show: Two-metre high ‘hobbit hole’ makes the ultimate den complete with flat screen TV and popcorn machine – and requires no planning permission

From the outside, it’s an enchanting hideaway for a hobbit inspired by JRR Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins.

But step inside the quaint round door of the wooden creation which delighted crowds at the Chelsea Flower Show this week and its true purpose is revealed.

The ‘hobbit-hole’ is the ultimate teenage den with comfy bean bags, a giant TV and gaming console plus a popcorn maker and stashes of sweets for snacks.

Alongside it is a treehouse for younger children with a rocking horse, teddy bears and an optional Narnia-inspired wardrobe leading to a slide. 

Made by East Sussex-based Blue Forest, the treehouse is priced at £150,000 and the hobbit house would set you back £100,000.

The ‘hobbit-hole’ is the ultimate teenage den with comfy bean bags, a giant TV and gaming console plus a popcorn maker and stashes of sweets for snacks

Made by East Sussex-based Blue Forest, the treehouse is priced at £150,000 and the hobbit house would set you back £100,000

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Despite the price tag, the bespoke den has been snapped up, with director Simon Payne saying it could have been sold six or seven times over. 

The firm’s Magical Hideaway display gained the show’s top five stars for a trade stand.

At two metres high, the hobbit-hole is tall enough for an adult to stand upright inside. 

And unlike the treehouse it does not require planning permission – an application process that can sometimes take up to six months. 

A Blue Forest spokesman said: ‘Designed as a playroom, you can imagine Bilbo Baggins waiting to greet you as you venture into the heart of the woods and stumble upon the quirky circular door of this magical little hobbit house’.

The firm’s ‘Magical Hideaway’ installation has been awarded five stars by the RHS, the top accolade for a trade stand at the show.

Director Simon Payne said: ‘Of all the years we have exhibited at Chelsea, I think this is the best reaction we have ever had from all the people coming to see the hobbit house.

‘We took inspiration from Tolkein’s stories and the films. That kind of magic and fantasy is part and parcel of what we do for kids to have fun in the garden.

‘The treehouse is aimed at younger children and the hobbit house at teenagers as a den.

The firm’s ‘Magical Hideaway’ installation has been awarded five stars by the RHS, the top accolade for a trade stand at the show

Actor Martin Freeman (centre) as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

‘We have already completed half a dozen hobbit house projects and sold this one, which we could have sold six or seven times over.’

English writer Tolkein is thought to have been a keen gardener.

He described all sorts of real and imagined trees, shrubs, flowers and edible plants in his epic, high-fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings.

Peter Jackson, director of the film adaptations, put together a 12-acre movie set in Matamata, New Zealand to portray Hobbiton, featuring Bilbo’s adorable hobbit-hole.

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