From a waterfall retreat to a home in a spaceship, here are 10 of the coolest houses where I’m
sure you would love to live!
10.
Bubble House
If you’re an architect, and money's no object, then you’d be able to build whatever type
of house you want- and that’s exactly what Antti Lovag did in the hills of Cannes in
southern France.
Between 1975 and 1989 he built a sprawling complex known as the Bubble House, and it’s
one of the most unique homes on the planet.
It was bought by the fashion designer Pierre Cardin, and has since become the site for
high profile celebrity parties, hosting stars like Dakota Fanning, Pierce Brosnan, and Marion
Cotillard.
He also hires it out for events for $15,000 a day, especially to companies wanting to
host extravagant parties- usually during the Cannes film festival.
The complex covers almost 13,000 square feet, has 10 rooms, 3 swimming pools, stunning gardens
and even a 500-seat amphitheatre.
Inspired by ancestral homes, the terracotta-colored pods are just as unusually designed on the
inside as they are on the outside.
Recently the pad has been put up for sale for a whopping $500 million, but if that’s
slightly out of your price range, you can hire a room for just $1000 dollars a day to
experience it for yourself!!
9.
Turning House
It’s the age old problem- when you buy a house, which direction do you want it to face?
The sun in the morning is in a different place in the sky than it is in the evening, and
usually you have to make a choice about what is more important.
Towards the sun, away from the sun, is it energy efficient??
There is a way around this, though, as Bohumil Lhota from the Czech Republic found out.
He, by himself, has spent more than 20 years building his ideal home.
A vast proportion of it is underground and was constructed with eco-efficiency in mind.
It maintains a constant temperature throughout the year because it is insulated by the ground
around it.
On the lower level, there is a circular swimming pool, and the top floor is the living quarters-
but the views are what makes this house a one of a kind.
And it’s not just the one view that this place has, because the orientation of the
building is completely changeable.
It’s often referred to as the roundabout house, because when you’re bored of what
you’re looking at, or simply want to chase the sun, you can push the mechanism and turn
the entire structure around to face in whatever direction you want!
Cool, right?!
Customizable houses could, quite possibly, become the way of the future!!
They allow you to make best use of the warmth of the sun’s rays and use less power to
heat it up by other means.
For the moment, though, this is the only one of these homes in the world, so you’ll need
to move to the mountains near Prague to be able to live in it!
If it’s ever for sale!
8.
Hobbit House
Simon Dale didn’t want to be weighed down with house payments for the rest of his life,
so he instead decided to build one of his own.
Armed with only $5,000, a chainsaw, hammer, and chisel- he moved his family to a Welsh
hillside and got to work.
He had no experience with carpentry or designing houses, and used material that he scavenged
from local refuse facilities.
Can you imagine?
If I were his wife, I don’t know if I would have been as supportive of this decision!
Four months later, the result was amazing.
It’s an eco-home built into the hill, and looks just like the kind of house you’d
expect to see the Hobbit living in.
Dale kept eco-friendliness as a core theme here, and made the outer shell from straw
and plastic sheets to keep rainwater out and the heat in.
He covered the whole thing with gravel to ensure it fits in perfectly with the surroundings.
Power is generated by discretely placed solar panels, there’s a fridge that is kept cool
by the air being blown from beneath the foundations, and they even have a compost toilet so nothing
goes to waste.
While this structure will always be his family home, Dale has been contracted to build a
replica in the Lammas village, the first eco-village in Wales, so soon enough you could make one
of these your home!!
7.
Sky Sphere
They’re known for doing things a bit different in New Zealand, and the Sky Sphere is no exception!
Jono Williams, a director of an IT company, came up with the idea when out drinking with
a friend and made the designs in his spare time.
3 years later, his plan has become a reality, with an eco-friendly, hi-tech structure that
stands a cut above the rest.
He initially wanted to build a treehouse, but wanted something tougher so he used a
32-foot steel column for the support.
He designed the 360 degree polycarbonate windows for the perfect view, and even had to design
his own heating system to install into the floor.
While this house is high up and in a remote location, it doesn’t mean it comes without
all the modern conveniences.
It has high speed internet, a projector screen, a stargazing platform and, best of all, a
remote controlled beer dispenser.
Everything here can be controlled from a smartphone app, and it also has voice controlled lighting,
electric doors, fingerprint locks and a wireless sound system.
In total, this house only cost him about $50,000 to build- so it just goes to show that the
best homes aren’t necessarily the most expensive.
6.
The Flintstones House
Usually people want to have futuristic homes that push the boundaries when it comes to
combining technology and a living space, but one home in Malibu has gone the complete opposite
way.
This famous house was built by Dick Clarke, not to be confused with the other Flintstones
house.
Because of restrictions about what you can build in the area, the plan was to construct
something that blended into its surroundings as much as possible, and that’s how the
idea of the Flintstones House came into being.
The property sits on 23 acres of land, and has been designed to look like a rock formation.
It has one bedroom and two bathrooms, and has the iconic prehistoric look from the cartoon.
Its architect described it as “heavy stucco with lots of rocks thrown into the mix”.
The stucco was scrubbed, before being put in place, to give it the worn look, and irregular
shaped windows and large glass sheets were used to give a 360 degree view.
It’s a perfect mix of nostalgia and the unusual, so it was a surprise that it sold
for only $1.8 million dollars in 2014- which was half of the asking price!
I wonder what happened there??
And now for number 5 but first remember to subscribe before you leave!!
5.
Ground Fridge
Floris Schoonderbeek is a Dutch designer who comes up with solutions based upon experience,
functionality, and durability.
He wants to bring unique structures into the world that look different and are eco-conscious,
and this ground fridge is one of his highest profile designs.
It looks like a giant ball with an opening, and can be placed wherever you like.
It can simply be an artwork in a courtyard or, in the way he intended it to be used,
buried underground with only the door being visible.
Inside is the equivalent storage space of 20 standard refrigerators, which can store
about 1100 pounds worth of food.
Quite often, modern houses are built without basements, and this structure helps to provide
extra storage space for those who need it.
When it’s underground, the natural insulating effects of the earth help to keep it at a
constant temperature throughout the year, which makes it ideal to store items like fruit,
wine, vegetables and cheese.
If you need more room, or simply somewhere to escape to for some peace and quiet, then
this could be the ideal home extension for you!
4.
Spaceship House
In Signal Mountain, Tennessee, the woods conceal something quite unusual.
Rather than being proof of alien life, the Spaceship House is, in fact, the brainchild
of Curtis King, who built his saucer shaped home in 1972.
It cost him $250,000 to build, and was complete with all the futuristic features you would
expect.
There’s a drop down staircase to get into the house, three bedrooms, two bathrooms,
and a full bar and entertainment area.
Virtually everything within the house is rounded to fit in with the overall design scheme.
There’s over 2,000 feet of living space within the dome, which is made from steel
and concrete, and it’s seen a number of owners over the years since Curtis King moved
out.
Apparently the retractable staircase, which is currently broken and remains in place on
the ground, came in quite handy on a number of occasions.
One neighbor remembered how a woman, who was arguing with her husband, pulled up the stairs
and parked his truck underneath- so he was trapped inside until she decided to free him.
It recently sold for around $120,000, and is available to rent as a vacation home.
If you’re an avid alien hunter, then surely there’s no better place on earth to spend
your free time.
3.
Brooklyn Clock Tower Home
If you’ve got a crazy amount of money to spend on a new residence, and want the best
views possible across New York, then the Brooklyn Clock Tower Home would be perfect.
This 6,813 square foot penthouse is at the top of Dumbo’s Clock Tower building, and
recently broke the record for being the most expensive unit sold in King’s county- selling
for $15 million.
The three floored, three bedroom apartment has the four 14-foot clock faces of the building
set into its windows, and offers unparalleled views across Lower Manhattan!
And, if you’re in the bathroom, the Statue of Liberty.
It also comes with an elegant chef’s kitchen, 50-foot high ceilings, and even a private,
glass enclosed 3-story elevator.
There’s nowhere else in New York quite like this place, but even with its unique features,
it took more than 4 years to sell it to its current owner.
2.
Japanese Slide House
Houses just aren’t well designed for kids- they have to use adult things like stairs!
And bannisters!
How boring is that!
Well, there’s one home in Japan that’s done away with the sensible features and,
instead, connected all three floors with a slide!
Finally!!!
It was built by LEVEL Architects, in Meguro-Ku, Tokyo- and covers 1,762 square feet.
On one side are the traditional staircases and corridors, and the other side is the giant
slide- which all combine to provide a circular route around the whole house.
This gives residents the choice of how to get around, and on each level they can decide
between using the stairs or slide to go down, or maybe even climb the slide back up!
The living areas are on the first floor, and lead out to a double-high terrace which can
also be used as a ball pen for the children to play in.
The top floor is where the bedroom and bathroom have been installed, and the ground floor
comes complete with a home office and traditional Japanese themed room.
This wasn’t built as a concept house either.
It was built to the exact wishes and specifications of the client who wanted somewhere fun for
the kids to grow up and where memories would be made.
That surely will be the case- who wouldn’t have wanted a place like this when they were
growing up?
Or even now, as ‘responsible’ adults!
1.
Falling Water
Falling Water was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the owner of the Kaufmann department
store in 1935, and was built in south-western Pennsylvania.
Intended as a weekend home, it partly covers a waterfall, and is one of the most beautiful
houses in the world.
It’s so loved in the area, that it was even designated as a National Historic Landmark
in 1966.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this house is that, despite having an initial idea
of what he wanted to do, Wright was forced to draw the plans within 2 hours one Sunday,
because the clients called ahead for an unplanned visit to see what he had come up with.
While slight changes were needed, the clients were really happy with the ideas, and they
soon became a reality.
It truly is one of the best houses in the world, and one that anyone would be lucky
to live in.
These days, though, it has been turned into a museum, so you’re able to be one of the
120,000 people who visit the property every year.
Thanks for watching!!
Which one of these houses would you like to live in?
Let us know in the comments below!!
Be sure to subscribe and see you next time!!!!!
Byeee