Unique and whimsical architecture has always inspired curiosity from people everywhere. Home is our first and last place of the day. It’s a space we can feel safe in most of the time, and it’s a place where we keep our possessions.
Often, as historical towns evolve over time, small homes remain lost in the midst of urban sprawl. Other times, people feel compelled to design unique houses that challenge our ideas of what defines a home.
When faced with the designs of some of the world’s smallest and most unique houses, we can often fantasize about what it must be like to live out our lives in a small shanty by the sea, or a tiny hole in the ground like a Hobbit, these 12 houses are so quaint you’ll find yourself moving out of your house before you know it!
1) The Broon’s House in Scotland: This quaint little home is in the middle of Loch Shin, near a tiny town called Lairg. Of course, nobody can actually live in a home this small but it’s fun to fantasize. This house is based on a popular Scottish comic called the Broons, about a bunch of large people living in a very tiny house.
2) The Smallest House in Prague: This tiny home is located in Prague, the Czech Republic. The small home is only 2.5 meters wide at the front. Over the years it has been a home, an art studio, and even a small bar. Now it serves as a vestibule between the two homes that were built after the 19th century.
3) House On The Thousand Islands: This adorable home is located on one of the 1864 different islands on the USA/Canada border on Lake Ontario. It’s so close to the water, that one might worry about floods! Fortunately, the great lakes are higher than the sea level, so the worry of a place like this being buried by water isn’t very high. This home tetters on every last available square inch of the island!
4) Steve Areen’s Thailand House: Steve Areen is a musician and photographer living on a Mango Farm in Thailand. He built and designed this dome house for himself using natural methods and currently resides in it. What a marvel of architecture!
5) The One-Square Metre House: This house is absolutely ridiculous. What you lose in the use of a bathroom or kitchen, you gain in portable sleeping convenience. This is more of an art installation than a suitable place to live, but it’s interesting to think about how convenient it might be to take a nap wherever you go.
6) Groundfridge House: Look! It’s a fridge house! This isn’t actually a house. It’s actually a fridge that was designed to stay on the ground to keep fruits and vegetables cool. But wouldn’t it be nice if it could be a house? How fun!
7) Heijmans ONE Foldable House: Designed by a company in the Netherlands called Heijmans, these homes literally “unfold” in a single day. They come with a master bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Everything you could need. Remarkable!
8) Airplane House: In Costa Rica, a 1965 Boeing 727 airframe has been converted into a luxury hotel and resort. The structure itself overlooks a vast lagoon, and has spacious interior rooms, with ornately carved wood, and whimsical views of the forest. What an awesome use of an old airplane!
9) Exbury Egg House: Stephen Turner is an architect who worked in collaboration with the SPUD group and PAD studio in the UK. This tiny 6-meter-long house is powered by the sun and features a small oven and a hammock. The space is used as a working studio, and the wooden finish is said to take on multiple patinas over the years after it is exposed to the water, sun, and air.
10) The Smallest House in Great Britain: Otherwise known as the Pier House, this tiny space only is only 5 and a half meters and has a tiny bed, fireplace, and living area. It is in the Guinness book of records as one of the smallest living spaces. People were living there right up to the 1900s. Its last resident was a fisherman, whose descendants now run the space as a museum.
11) UFOGEL – Eco House: This bizarre-looking building is located in the Swiss Alps. It was designed by Peter Jungmann. The etymology of the house’s name came from UFO (unidentified flying object) and VOGEL (the German word for bird). The house is designed to be eco-friendly, and you can rent it yourself the next time you visit the Alps!
12) The Walking House: Developed by N55 and the Wysling Arts Centre, this ridiculous invention is quite literally a house that walks. The structure itself is around 3 by 3 by 3 meters and has a wood burning stove inside. The maximum speed this house can reach is around 40 mph. Don’t like your scenery? No problem. Just take your house for a quick stroll!
