We have all grown up reading fairytales about magical lands and fabled castles. Even though we pretend to have now crossed over to reality, we still secretly travel to our imaginary fairy-tale worlds every once in a while. Perhaps the secret to sanity in an insane world!
Here’s a look at the world’s top homes that look like they were all taken out of one of our favorite storybooks, but the only thing is - they’re very much REAL!
1. Hobbit House, Wales
We have all seen the Hobbit movie and the beautiful and magical little house that looked so enchanting.
There is something almost magnetically attractive and serene in natural buildings. They are simple and cost effective. The beauty and use of natural materials of such natural habitats remind us of our ancestors and the fact that we can live as a part of nature and Earth.
This Wales house has been built in the Lammas Eco Village and spread across 7 acres of land.
Although it is not open for public stay currently, its owners are fighting for its custody in order to turn it into a hotel.
2. Nautilus House, Mexico
If your ultimate house fantasy is to live in a shell (pun intended), then you should definitely pay a visit to the Nautilus House.
This amazing shell-shaped house was designed by architect Javier when a young family with two children approached him, as they were tired of living in a conventional home and wanted a change and live mixed up with Mother Nature.
Inspired by the work of Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright, this house is brilliantly designed and it has smooth surfaces everywhere. Spiral stairs and natural plantlings are found in abundance inside Nautilus House and they wil surely make you feel as if you are living inside a snail! It will soon be opened for vacation stays and is currently open as a sightseeing architectural art piece.
3. Seashell House, Mexico
It seems that some builders in Mexico have a great liking for shell houses! One more addition to the list is the Seashell House, a gloriously white marvel that looks like it is made up of humungous shells!
A brilliant architect (Eduardo) and his wife (Raquel) constructed this incredibly unique property to enhance the stay of tourists on the quiet and serene tropical island of Casa Caracole.
Imagine your vacation like this - waking up with the ocean’s murmur and the gentle flow of the ocean’s breeze, swimming in your own private pool surrounded by coconut trees, tropical plants, and visiting iguanas! There are mind-blowing cliffs and tiny beaches that appear and disappear with the tide and the ocean shore has a rich and bountiful collection of shells and corals. Awaken to the most incredible sunrises and fall asleep under a sky full of stars where the moon rises like you have never experienced before! Price per night per head here is 180Euros.
4. Dome Home, Thailand
This amazing orange house is built by the brilliant architect Steve Areen who wanted to build his dream home in an exquisite yet inexpensive manner. It was built in only $9000!
The Dome House is a beauty in its own unique way. The terracotta paint looks beautiful along the wallsand the rich fauna with small ponds surrounding them add serenity to the site.
You can spend your afternoons lazily on your rooftop hammock, or lay back and enjoy the view of your backyard pond full of beautiful lilies! The dome is full of windows and natural light, making the house one of nature’s own. Steve Areen is currently building more such houses and the chain will soon be available for vacation getaways.
5. Stone House, Portugal
Thisreal life Flintstones house lures many tourists each year as a family’s rural retreat. Its description is very simple and subtle - it is made up of four stones! Located in the Fafe mountains of northern Portugal, A Casa do Penedo, or “the House of Stone,” was built between four large boulders found on the site.
The house might seem rustic, but it does not lack in the amenities department, which include a fireplace and a swimming pool, which also are made up by carving out of one of the large rocks. In recent years it has attracted the attention of tourists and architecture enthusiasts alike for being so perfectly integrated into its natural surroundings.
There’s something so breathtakingly original about a house that looks straight out of the Stone Age! Go and have a look at this gorgeous structure and be awed by its modern rusticness!
6. Forest House, Netherlands
This ultra green house in the small town of Efteling is a place for those who absolutely adore nature.
The diversity of design, materials, and locales that the human beings inhabit is wonderful. The Forest House is a great example of humble and simple yet absolutely stunning architecture.
This house is a nice change from the tree houses that are now popping up everywhere. This one is not a house on a tree; it is a house in a tree!
The price to stay in this enchanting tree house is 390Euros per week.
7. Crazy House, Vietnam
The Crazy House might look like a Disneyland piece of art, rather than a house you would like to live in, but this topsy-turvy structure is actually a hotel in Vietnam!
Designed by a not so normal architect Dang Viet Nga, this building is situated in Da Lat City and is full of bizarre wooden sculptures like giraffes and tigers. This house has no square windows! How crazy is that!
The inner area has giraffe skin looking railings and it seems like trees are growing out of the house’s roof! The rooms have mismatched furniture and an upside down tiger with red eyes! This could be slightly disturbing to some but nonetheless very interesting! The rooms here are available at 40Euros a night.
8. Tea House Tetsu, Japan
The Japanese teahouse in a tree has been built by architect Terunobu Fujimori.
The inside of this house is simple and modern while the outside is pure, unadulterated fantasy. This tree house is surrounded by gorgeous cherry blossoms and it is situated at the Kiyoharu Shirakaba Museum in Hokuto City, Japan.
It is built amidst a sea of the most beautiful pink flowered cherry blossom trees with the interior view of the sliding wooden doors making it a vision of pure fantasy.
9. Rustic Way Whimsical House, Minnesota
A company called Rustic Way specializes in building whimsical tiny structures out of reclaimed wood! The owner Dan Pauly is the mastermind behind these cute little houses.
These “once upon a time” cottages are so adorable and cute that you could just eat them!
Enchanting, whimsical and super lovable are the words that describe these houses the best! You can live in them too, Whimsical Houses start at $6,500 for the six footer and increase in price to $12,500 for the twelve footer.
10. Victorian Cottage, New York
Sandra Foster turned a Catskills hunting cabin into a romantic Victorian cottage, using vintage columns, flooring and wavy glass windows, and doing the carpentry herself! Whoa!
The Fosters’ unique homestead in New York is a good example for both married couples as well as tiny houses. And not to forget, it is so romantic! A true Victorian dream, it was renovated in just under $3000.
It may not have a bathroom or a kitchen, but it is THE dream cabin house, having stacks of Limoges china with tiny rosebud patterns; chandeliers dripping crystal; billows of tissue-paper garlands. Such beauty. Sigh!
The most magical things in life are the ones that spring up where you least expect them, you just have to be patient. Till then, you should take off and go live in your fairytale house for a while. They allow you to live your dream fairytale, even if just for a short while.
And who knows, you may get so inspired that you decide to build one on your own! Looking forward to that!
KomalJain
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