The cabin still under construction but nearing completion, July 2022

The KP Mushroom is a unqiue home & cabin built by Rod & Shannon on the beautiful, rural Key Peninsula in Washington State.

The cabin under construction in October 2020

They purchased 2 acres of undeveloped land in 2018 with a vision to build something truly unique and to do that with their own hands.

Over the course of 3+ years the two created a cabin inspired a bit by Tolken and their own imaginations. At just over 700sq/ft the cabin feels so much larger with 25 foot ceilings. It also has two fire places, heated flooring, a full kitchen, bedroom loft with queen bed, laundry and 3/4 bathroom featuring a large shower.

Most of the finish work comes from reclaimed materials and antiques to give the cabin an old world charm. Paying close attention to color, lighting and hiding all the modern day things, walking into the cabin feels like stepping back in time.

The Never Never Land figurines

In 2020 Rod & Shannon aquired 5 figurines from Never Never Land. Never Never Land was a storybook themed attraction at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington which opened on July 4, 1964. It was located along a forest trail, representing at its height 29 childhood storybook rhymes and tales such as the Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and Hickory, Dickory Dock. With toys, a stage for plays and interactive exhibits.

Never Never Land closed in 2001 after years of coping with constant vandalism and theft as well as the high cost of maintenance and operations. In 2010, the last pieces of the scenes were permanently removed and the land was left to return to a natural state. In 2011 an arsonist set fire to the Pagoda in Point Defiance Park where the figures were being stored in the basement. The fire destroyed most of the building and about half of the collection was totally lost. In 2021 Metro Parks decided to auction off the remaining pieces with proceeds of the auction going back to the Park.

The book and illustrations

The Never Never Land statues seemed a perfect fit for the cabin and they inspired Rod & Shannon to write a book, "Never Never, Now and Forever" which tells the (mostly) true story of The Mushroom House and the statues and how they came to be there. Disguised as children's book, but written for adults as well, the story reminds us to never never let go of our imagination, no matter how old we grow. The book is illustrated by a local, Gig Harbor muralist Hillarie Isackson and can be purchased on Etsy.

The cabin also has been given some press coverage in the Tacoma News Tribune, the Key Peninsula News and also in an article by NPR about the cabin, the Never Never Land statues and the auction.

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