Top 10 Unusual Homes Around The World

When describing the dream home, we each have in mind our own ideas and designs. We are all unique and different and this is why each person envisions a space differently. Some people like to keep things simple and classical while others prefer a more adventurous solution. This has sometimes resulted in the creation of some very unusual and intriguing homes. Here are just a few examples:

The World’s Skinniest House.

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We’re going to start with the world’s slimmest home. Known as the Keret House, this space is used as artist’s residence. The artist lives here a few days a week and, given the size and structure of this space, it can’t really be considered a full-time residence. The architect that designed the space has been working at this project for three years and finds it very interesting. He was inspired by the work of Israeli writer Etgar Keret, who writes extremely short stories.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The Keret House is in fact a very narrow space in between two buildings. It connects the buildings but, at the same time, it’s also independent from them. Since the size of the space represents a problem and an obstacle, making it feel airy and spacious is nearly impossible. Still, several solutions were found. For example, the transparent roof lets in lots of natural light and prevents the space from feeling cluttered and claustrophobic.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

Moreover, the house also has an open stairway and an entire wall of windows. In order to not interfere with the structure of the neighborhood, the house was built about ten feet above the ground. It’s 30 feet tall and it’s unofficially known as the world’s slimmest house. There are also several other structures that could easily fall into the same category.

Apartment With Basketball Court.

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We now go from small to large. If the Keret House impressed with its narrowness, this space impresses with its spaciousness. It’s a very large and very spacious residence and, even though the photos might show it as a quite normal space, you have to imagine that everything you see is on a much larger scale to be able to fully understand the proportions.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

This space was actually a warehouse at some point. It then got converted into a private residence. It’s located in Soma, near San Francisco, California and has an intriguing design. The exterior doesn’t seem that strange. It’s actually quite simple and classical. It’s the interior that impresses the most. It all begins as soon as you reach the entrance door. As it opens, it reveals a very large and open space where nature feels like an organic part of the design.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The living room is the central space. Here all the furniture is organized along the walls, leaving the center open and free. The décor is very interesting. It’s a complex combination of diverse elements and yet the atmosphere is very pleasant and everything feels cohesive. The overall décor is modern and simple.

Skate house.

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Next on our list are two intriguing homes based on a similar concept. Every person has their passions and crazy ideas that they would love to explore. For the owners of these homes, the passion is skateboarding so they wanted these spaces to reflect that. The first home is the PAS House. It was designed as a continuous skateable space. It goes from one end to the other and it’s similar to a ribbon. The PAS House was designed by Gil Lebon Delapointe and architect Francois Perrin.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

Situated high on a cliff in Malibu, the house also provides privacy and given the owner the liberty of enjoying it to its full potential. Moreover, the house also offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The internal structure is very simple. The house includes a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom and a skateboard practice area.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The central portion of the house is a large loop that measures 10 feet in diameter. It was designed as a practice and entertainment area and it can even become a second living room if furniture is added. It’s a simple and nice combination of spaces where everyone feels comfortable but where the owner also can combine two things: the passion for skateboarding and the coziness of a home.

Skate Villa.

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The second house that we were talking about is the Skate Villa. The name is indeed very suggestive. In the case of this project, the plan and strategy were a little different. Instead of restricting the practice area to a loop or a delimitated space, the whole house is skateable.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The concept is very interesting. The house has all the comfort and everything that an unusual home has but, in addition, everything was modified and custom-made to also be skateable. Concrete mounds were added at the base of the walls and straight lines became curved. Ramps were also created throughout the house, including one on the fireplace. All these custom changes were designed by professional skater Philipp Schuster.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

He wanted this place to really feel like home and to reflect his personality and passion for skating. He purchased the house from an elderly couple a while ago and decided to renovate it and transform it. However, some of the original features were preserved in order to maintain the original charm of this place. They include elements such as the dark wood features, the hunting trohpies and the traditional furniture.

Epu house.

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The next project on our list is also a unique house. It can’t actually be called a residence because of the dimensions but it has lots of unique features. This is Epu. It’s a house that was built on a 7′ x 14′ utility trailer. It has all the elements that a regular home has and the only difference is the design and layout. Epu has a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The living room or the main room features a built-in desk and it’s a bright space with large windows on all sides. The living room even has a fireplace, not the element you would expect to see in such a small space. The kitchen is also small. It has a sink, a 2 burner stove top, a refrigerator and lots of storage space on the shelves. Under the sink there’s also a water heater. Given the size of this room, there’s not enough space for a dishwasher but the space adjacent to the living room that serves as a closet can accommodate it.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The bedroom is large enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed. The shelving can be used to store clothes and there’s not much space for other furniture pieces. The bathroom is tiny and only has a shower. The water is heated using the dispositive under the kitchen sink and doesn’t leave much freedom as it runs out in about 5 minutes.{found on site}.

Amazing tree house.

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A house is a house no matter the size or design. But some designs are just too unusual to go unnoticed. Some seem too strange to be true. For example, take a look at this house. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, this house can be seen in Portland, Oregon and it’s a celebration of the natural environment that surrounds it.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The house was designed by architect Robert Harvey Oshatz. The client had few but challenging requests. First of all, he wanted the house to seamlessly integrate into the landscape and to sit in harmony with nature and the environment. The second request was to make the house a physical representation of music. This was a challenging detail that dictated the entire design. The architect took advantage of the structure of the site.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The lot had a very steep slope and it’s there that the house was built. This way the main floor is at the level of the tree canopy. It’s almost like sitting in a tree house. To make it integrate into the landscape even better, the architect used features such as walls of grass and organic shapes throughout. The walls, the ceilings and the floors are all made of natural wood. Other materials used include natural stone. It took the architect several years to complete this project but the results are stunning.

Train Car Home.

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Personally I love riding trains very much. I particularly enjoy long trips and the way the train gently moves and makes me sleepy. In those moments I wish I could make the train my home. Of course, it’s just an impulse thought. But for some people, the inspiration goes to a whole different level. For example, in Portland there is a train that was converted into a home.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

It’s a very strange type of home but it’s a cozy space nevertheless. The 807 square foot space was completely transformed and redesigned. It was converted into a home, with living spaces, sleeping areas, bathroom and kitchen. The interior is modern and, despite the strange shape of the spaces and the challenging dimensions, the interior doesn’t feel cluttered or tiny. It’s actually quite airy and bright.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

Among the modern featured included in the design, we can mention the full electric kitchen and the incinerator toilet. The design is interesting and the transformation is spectacular. There’s also another interesting detail about this so called home. Since technically it’s not a real estate, there are no property taxes. The train home is currently listed at $225,000.

Conch Shell House.

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Remember those tiny crabs that borrow shells and make them their home? Have you ever imagined yourself living in a seashell? Probably not, since it’s a crazy idea. Well, some people don’t agree with that. Just take a look at this home. It’s a house with a design inspired by a spiral shell. The shape and design are unusual and very suggestive. But that’s not the only connection this house has with nature.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The house was built using a combination of natural and inorganic materials that include local seashells and regional coral. All the walls are curved and there are no corners. To make things even more interesting, the house is located on a beach of a southern island and this allows the similarities with the actual spiral shell become even more apparent.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

This unusual home was built for an artist named Octavio Ocampo. This is probably the only detail about this house that isn’t surprising. The artist wanted this placed to be a combination of elements, at the limit between art and functional design. Some elements, such as the spiked roof, are purely decorative. Others, such as the second-story deck, also have a functional part. The overall design is very fluid and gracious and the only detail that disrupts this continuity is represented by the windows and doors.

Curved Spiral Shell House Design.

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Although the house we’ve just presented you is unique, it’s not the only one that has a design inspired by seashells. There are other homes that were also based on the same concept. One of them is this beautiful house that was designed by Senosiain Arquitectos and, in case you didn’t notice, it was patterned after a shell.

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Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The house was built using a combination of steel wire and a special type of thick concrete. The result was a very strong and durable structure that, despite its curved and gracious lines, was designed to last. It’s also a low-maintenance structure, a detail that makes it even more stunning. The exterior design of the house features only curved lines and shapes.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

The same elements can also be found inside as they are used throughout the house. The interior is decorated with plats and organic patterns. The stone paths and all the other details almost make it feel like the outside. The house is decorated with modern features and it’s very cozy. Not only that it has an original design and a look that makes it impossible to miss or to mistake for another, but it’s also a fully-functional home and an amazing space.

 An underground eco home.

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All homes are divided into different spaces. They each serve different functions and usually have independent designs but they also all follow an overall continuous design as they are part of the same space and structure. But what if they weren’t? Then the house might look like this:

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

This unusual structure was designed and built by Make Architects. There are several interesting aspects related to this house. First of all, this is an underground home. Then there’s also the design and the layout. The rooms of this house were organized around a central kitchen and they each resemble a petal. Together they form a flower shape.

Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5
Casa gary neville project5

Moreover, the house also impresses on other levels as well. Not only that it’s stunning from an architectural point of view, but it’s also a low-maintenance and eco-friendly home. It was built using locally-sourced materials and traditional building methods. It was almost entirely built into the hillside and it seamlessly disappears into the landscape. When seen from above, it resembles a flower with rooms instead of petals. Moreover, the house also has a glowing floral impression on the landscape when lit at night, which makes the comparison even more interesting.