21 of the world's weirdest homes
09 September 2016
Unique designs
The world can be a strange place, as this collection of crazy-looking houses proves. Fancy living in a shoe? A golf ball? A UFO, perhaps? Well apparently you can. Click on to find out where.
Golf ball house, Arizona, US
What do you get when you cross a golf ball with a spaceship? This rather bizarre-looking abode, of course, built on Route 66 and known locally as the “Golf Ball House”. Wonder why…
Golf ball house, Arizona, US
Built in 1976 as 'The Dinesphere - Space Station Restaurant’, it was empty until 1981. At that point a local from Wyoming snapped it up, gave it a makeover and turned it into a three-story house. As you do.
Golf ball house, Arizona, US
Who wouldn't want this view from their backyard? It's like stepping out onto Mars every morning. Admittedly it might get a little lonely.
Futuro House, Texas
Take a walk on the wild side in Texas and you might stumble upon this – an abandoned UFO-shaped house designed in the 60s by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. The idea is it can adapt to any terrain and so theoretically be moved to any place on earth (ironically, since it’s rather other-worldly).
Futuro House, Texas
Here's a sneak peek from the doorway – not the homeliest of abodes, but that's probably because it's been derelict for years.
Futuro House, Florida
It's not the only Futuro knocking around – check out this one on Santa Rosa Island, Florida. Turns out several were built around the same time, and there’s about 60 still in existence. Somewhere.
Upside down house, Trassenheide, Germany
The brainchild of Polish architects Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastion Mikuciuk, this upside-down abode was built in 2008 for an art exhibition.
Upside down house, Trassenheide, Germany
Everything inside is the wrong way up too – it took us a while to work this out...
Upside down house, Trassenheide, Germany
It’s now a popular tourist attraction, although if these other houses are anything to go by, there’s probably some whacky buyer out there with their eye on it for a future home. Could it be you?
The Boot, Tasman, New Zealand
But nothing beats staying in a boot. This bed and breakfast in Tasman, New Zealand, is now a hugely popular fairytale escape, receiving five bubbles on TripAdvisor and widespread coverage.
The Boot, Tasman, New Zealand
The Boot is nestled in between hazelnut trees on the outside, but has room for this little courtyard, which is surrounded by a garden and alfresco dining area.
The Boot, Tasman, New Zealand
Inside, you can kick back with an open fire and comfy couch. And here's the best bit – in the morning, a breakfast of your choice will be delivered to the door.
Amoeba House, Brazil
Designed by Javier Senosiain, this ginormous gold-painted construction sits in a complex complete with a golf course and surrounded by acres of green land. It's located 120 kilometres from the buzzing Brazilian city of São Paulo.
Amoeba House, Brazil
The only issue with this magical dome (if we're being pedantic), is that you'll struggle to find a place for most of your furniture with barely any straight walls available – almost all of the house is built in a cylindrical shape.
Amoeba House, Brazil
Still, we could probably live with it given this view.
Star Trek House, UK
Star Trek fans, prepare yourselves. Decked out like a Voyager Spaceship, this one-of-a-kind pad features voice-activated lighting, ‘transporters’ and a computerised flight deck among its futuristic innovations.
Star Trek House, UK
Sci-fi fanatic Tony Alleyne spent 10 years working on the flat, but he later lost it to his wife after they divorced. After being uninhabited for a fair while, it went on the market in May 2015 for £70,000, which sounds like a bargain to us.
Spotty house, Yorkshire, UK
If you have £850,000 going spare, you might like to invest in this 18th-century, polka dot historic building. The former pub earned its spots quite literally when it played host to the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014 – the removable vinyl dots were stuck on as a nod to the King of the Mountain rider’s jersey.
Spotty house, Yorkshire, UK
It's not quite as whacky inside, but as you can see there's still a bit of a red theme – and the floor is appropriately patterned.
Casa del Ancantilado, Spain
This psychedelic house by Gilbartolome Architects is ever so subtly built into a cliff-side in Salobreña in Spain.
Casa del Ancantilado, Spain
It was designed following a commission by a young couple who wanted a home in harmony with the surrounding climate, so the shell of the house was especially designed to keep the interiors cool in the summer.
Seashell house, Mexico
An Airbnb favourite, this oddly-shaped seashell home located in Casa Caracol, Mexico doesn't look quite real.
Seashell house, Mexico
The house was built by architect Eduardo Ocampo in 1994 for a famous painter who wanted something a little more unique. Accordingly, it was built to resemble a seashell – rounded on the inside with a spiral staircase and a door that just creeps through the mouth of the shell.
Seashell house, Mexico
With views like this across the Caribbean Sea, who wouldn't love it?
Casa do Penedo, Portugal
Aptly named the House of Stone, this bizarrely shaped building in the Fafe Mountains of Portugal looks like it’s come straight out of the Flintstones. Either that or Mars.
Ecocapsule
Tempted to go off-grid? You might want to pre-order one of these 50 Ecocapsules for €79,900 ($89,654/£67,540). Bargain!
Ecocapsule
Designed by a Slovakian architect, the 120-square-foot pod boasts solar cells, rainwater collection technology and its very own wind turbine.
Chateau on wheels, New Zealand
Staying with the fairytale theme, this fun chateau on wheels was built for a family of circus performers in New Zealand.
Chateau on wheels, New Zealand
Warm and inviting, the magical mobile castle benefits from relatively ample living space.
Chateau on wheels, New Zealand
It even features a turret-like hexagonal ceiling over the sleeping area.
Luxury cave house, Spain
Over in Spain, this dwelling is built directly into the side of a hill in Galera. As you can see, it's set in a pretty peaceful location.
Luxury cave house, Spain
If you're not afraid to look down, you can overlook the valley towards the chapel on the hill. As idyllic as it gets.
The Nautilus, Mexico
The brainchild of Javier Senosiain, this exotic-looking abode wouldn't look out of place in the world of Willy Wonka. Javier doesn’t like to present anything too simplistic, and if there’s any room to add some more colour, he will do just that.
The Nautilus, Mexico
The building is a logarithmic spiral, meaning it adapts itself to the land. This also means once you’re inside, walking around could feel a little like a maze as you try to navigate yourself from one room to another.
The Nautilus, Mexico
But the most impressive feature has to be the stained glass window, which beams multi-coloured light into the building across both levels. It's essentially like having a disco ball all the way through your house – just imagine the parties.
Gingerbread House, California
At some point in your life you’ve probably dreamt about living in a gingerbread house – and now you can. Well, kind of. It’s not actually made from gingerbread (which is the dream, let’s face it), but it looks like pretty convincing, so that's enough for us.
Gingerbread House, California
Located at the Isis Oasis Retreat Centre in Geyserville, California, the house sleeps up to three people, with a bedroom downstairs and an extra bed in the roof. Cosy, that's for sure.
The Piano House, Japan
Music fans unite; there seems to be a curious trend of building houses to look like musical instruments. This contemporary one comes complete with a glass cello staircase alongside a huge grand piano. Practical, obviously.
Cliff House, Australia
You'd have to be pretty brave to live in a box dangling off the edge of a cliff, but each to their own. Designed by Modscape, the five-storey home is currently just a concept, but given the others on this list it might well soon be a reality. Any takers?
Cliff House, Australia
According to Modscape, the design was inspired by the way barnacles cling to the hull of a ship. We don’t know how much this extreme house would cost, but, as the great saying goes, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it...
Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses – The Pequod
Prefer something extra-quirky? This curvy scaled-down home by Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses would cost between £37,000 and £60,000 to reproduce.
Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses – The Pequod
Where did all that space come from? Magic.
Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses – The Pequod
It's certainly got character – not just because of the curvy walls, although they certainly add pizzaz...
Edgeland House, Texas
If you've ever fancied living like a mole, or a hobbit, here's your answer. A surprisingly contemporary house covered in overgrown grass. Just what you've always wanted.
Edgeland House, Texas
The idea behind the building is that it's dug under the earth's mass in such a way that it retains 'thermal comfort' while still allowing enough sunlight to come through. It's based on the vernacular of the “pit house”, one of the oldest housing types in North America.
Quetzalcoatl Nest, Mexico
It might look like a massive theme park ride, but this giant snake is actually the shell for a block of apartments in Mexico City. The fantastical design, also created by Javier Senosiain, is based on the Aztec serpent god Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl Nest, Mexico
The structure is built to fit with the natural caves, bends and hilltops of the earth, with apartments spread over 16,500 square feet.
Quetzalcoatl Nest, Mexico
If you’re not put off by the jaws of this giant serpent god, you can enjoy the views of the twisting ravines and dramatic canyons which surround the place. So there you have it. If you can live inside a snake, what can't you do?
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