10 Most Unusual Houses in the World

The oldest house ever discovered dates back to 3,500BC. The Knap of Hower is in Scotland on the island of Papa Westry. Its builder chose to give the property an ocean view.

Other people’s homes fascinate us. The creativity and ingenuity in some of the most unusual homes can be inspiring. Let’s take a trip around the world with 10 beautiful and usual houses.

1. The Hobbit Home

Any fan of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings could not fail to recognize this home. Bilbo Baggins would feel extremely at home preparing one of his several breakfasts in the kitchen or smoking his pipe at the doorway. This home is not in Hobbiton but in Wales.

The home was built by a photographer. It has the signs of the visual artist throughout. The interior uses textures of polished and raw wood. There doesn’t seem to be a straight line in the place.

Lighting is atmospheric. Shadowy corners soften the walls and the natural materials are warm. Unsurprisingly a tall visitor would have to duck to avoid low ceilings.

The exterior has the characteristic turfed roof of the Hobbit home and a dome-like shape. The approach to the front door gently slopes up and is flanked by natural stone walls. The whole house was built for a modest $5,200 which would have pleased the careful, Mr. Baggins.

2. The Clock Tower, Brooklyn, New York

New York is such a busy hectic place to live. The clock rules in this 24-hour city. Appointments, schedules, and lawyers charging by the hour.

When you get home, wouldn’t you want to remove your watch and banish the clocks? That’s not possible in this home. It’s built inside a clock tower.

The triplex penthouse has four clocks, one built into each wall. The views from the clocks are amazing. Brooklyn Bridge and the New York Harbor can be seen through the glass clock faces.

Natural light streams in during the day. At night, the huge dining room overlooking the city lights must be one of the best dining venues in the city if you can get a seat.

3. Fred and Wilma’s Place

The Flinstones’ home was a crazy shaped house that appeared to be roughly carved out of the rock. The interior was uneven and roughly chiseled. A Malibu, California home has replicated this look but with a twist.

The caveman style is complemented with high technology modern features. The hidden lighting, TV and sound systems are discrete. They don’t compromise the organic curves on every surface.

Instead of white shaker cabinets in the kitchen, like many of the neighbors will have, this home has doors and cupboards that look like blocks of rock. Subtly fitted between “stone” kitchen units are the state of the art oven and hob.

4. Newquay’s Island House

Connected to the mainland by its own suspension bridge is an unusual home in Cornwall, UK. In the seaside resort of Newquay, famed for surfing, sits this strange house on its own island. The house is remarkable because it sits 70 feet high above the beach with cliff faces all around it.

A previous resident was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle creator of Sherlock Holmes. This is a prime location for a mystery novel if ever there was one. Close the 100 feet long bridge and nobody can arrive or depart.

5. Untitled 1986

An otherwise unremarkable house in Headington, Oxford, UK features an unusual work of art. This art object so transforms the appearance of the house that there are frequent visitors to see it. Of all the strange houses in the world, it must be the only one to have a huge fiberglass shark diving into the roof.

This art installation, called “Untitled 1986”, is intended to represent the threat of radioactive fallout. The shark appears to have fallen from the skies just as the fallout did from the Chernobyl disaster. What it’s like living with a shark in your roof is not clear but the constant stream of visitors taking photos of the house must become tedious.

6. One-Meter House

Berlin architect Van Bo Le-Mentzal designed a tiny, weird house. It is mobile on small wheels and can flip to sit vertically or horizontally.

Weighing 40 kilos it is easy to relocate or re-orientate if you fancy changing the view. Having spent some time as a refugee, Le-Mentzal felt this was a good way of creating a house where he could choose his neighbors.

This might not be one of the coolest houses in the world but it’s the smallest. The wooden frame, lockable door, and sliding windows are all you get but as a social statement, it’s huge.

7. Two Churches in Utrecht, Netherlands

Many a church has been the subject of a renovation and re-purpose project. Few have been as successful as the two churches converted into homes by Zecc Architecten.

The Netherlands has seen over 1000 churches close since 1970. The beautiful city of Utrecht now has two of those churches finding new life as family homes. They retain many original features including an organ, pews and lofted ceilings.

The brick exteriors give way to bright white interiors. Stain glass and modern lighting work together to create colorfully lit spaces. Minimalist furnishing emphasizes the space.

8. Transparent House, Japan

Intended as a reference to the life lived in the trees by our ancestors, a Japanese home was designed with connecting spaces. It is constructed using a white frame, multiple platforms, and glass walls. It’s easy to have conversations with other people in the house as the interior spaces are interconnected.

Residents are very visible from the outside so privacy may be a challenge for some people. Tokyo is a city where space is at a premium. This compact home addresses this problem including having an interior garage for the family car.

9. Uptown Court, UK

Uptown Court is just 25 miles from London, convenient if you need to do a little shopping. Buy this large family home for a $150 million price tag. It has 103 rooms so you will have a lot of shopping to do to furnish them.

It also has no less than 5 swimming pools, not to mention the helipad, bowling alley and underground parking for 8 cars. There are sweeping staircases, exterior balconies, and extensive grounds.

If the neighbors drop in, expect them to include the Queen of England and Elton John. You could entertain them in your 50 seat movie theatre. Even in the depths of winter the heated, yes heated, drive stays snow free.

10. Barbie’s Malibu Home

The doll with the preference for pink had her 50th birthday in 2009. As well as making her first catwalk appearance at New York fashion week, she had a Barbie dream house become a reality. Jonathan Adler, an interior decorator, created a pink palace in her honor.

The project was commissioned by Mattel, the toy maker. It is perched on a cliff top with views of the ocean. Among the Barbie treasures is an Andy Warhol picture of Barbie worth $200,000.

Unusual Houses and Your Home

All these fantastic and sometimes weird homes are fascinating. The creativity and thought that has gone into their concept and execution are what makes them beautiful in their own way. Creating your home is the same process.

For more great ideas for homes, click here.

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?