From spaceships and mushrooms to seashells and bubbles, Old Mother Hubbard don’t got nothing on these houses.

Read this article en español

SINCE THE DAYS OF THE cave painting, humans have designed and lived in dwellings that reflect our social, psychological, and physical needs. The longer we exist, the more our simple caves evolve into works of art and living that not only provide relief from the elements but homes that show the ever expanding artistic nature of our species.

We’ve collected 20 of the most surreal, bizarre, odd, and interesting houses on the planet. Perhaps they’ll provide inspiration for your next home.

1

Upside down blue house

An upside down house in Trassenheide in Germany. Even the furniture inside is stuck to the ceiling. Photo by Backkratze

2

A house carved in a big rock

The "Casa da pedra" (House of Stone) built inside a rock in the mountains of Fafe in Portugal. Photo by Feliciano Guimarães

3

House with walls made of empty beer cans

The "Beer Can House" in Houston is a project started in 1968 by John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It has more than 50,000 cans on its facade. Photo by Litandmore

Intermission

Travel

The 13 Cutest A-Frame Airbnbs To Rent in the Northeast

Feb 28, 2023 Morgane Croissant
Culture

Tips and Tricks To Make the Most of Your Visit To Versailles

Feb 7, 2023 Morgane Croissant
Culture

10 Risqué, Extravagant, and Spooky Las Vegas Museums

Feb 7, 2023 Jeremy Long
4

An old photo of a house shaped like a shoe

The "Haines Shoe House" was built in Pennsylvania in 1948 as an advertising gimmick by Colonel Mahlon N. Haines, the Shoe Wizard of York. Photo by jamesdale10

5

A futuro house in the shape of a UFO alien spaceship

A Futuro House in Frisco, North Carolina. These round, prefabricated houses are designed by Matti Suuronen, and are composed of polyester plastic and fiberglass. Photo by Runder

6

Vortex entrance

"Vortex House" was an art installation in Montrose, Houston, on a house awaiting demolition. Unfortunately, the house has already been torn down. Photo by Michael Cote

7

A house like a seashell by the ocean

The Sea Shell House is a luxurious vacation rental home in Isla Mujeres in Mexico, with a 180-degree view of the ocean. Photo by Sarunas B

Intermission

Travel

10 Magical Airbnbs Near Redwoods and Sequoia National Parks

Mar 8, 2023 Jenny Willden
Travel

These Tokyo Airbnbs Put You in the Heart of This Incredible City

Jan 31, 2023 Matador Creators
Entertainment

21 Music Festivals That Need To Be on Your Radar for 2023

Mar 7, 2023 Eben Diskin
8

House shaped like a pickle barrel

The Pickle Barrel House in Michigan is a two-story cabin built of two barrels. The house design is based on 2-inch-tall cartoon characters who live in a pickle barrel. Photo by Kristina_5

9

Netherlands residences shaped like cubes

Kubuswoningen, or Cube Houses, are a set of innovative houses designed by architect Piet Blom in 1984 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. There are 38 small cubes and two so called 'super-cubes', all attached to each other. Photo by Andrea de Poda

10

Bubble houses in coastal France

The "Maison Gaudet" bubble houses in the south of France are designed by Antti Lovag, an anti-conformist architect with no diploma who built this residence after an experimental model in 1969. Photo by Muracciole Jean-Marie

11

Futuristic steel house

The famous "Steel House" of the late Robert Bruno, an architectural sculpture artist in Ransom Canyon, Texas. Photo by Billy Hathorn

Intermission

Travel

The Best Airbnbs in Boston, From Beacon Hill To a Ship in the Harbor

Mar 3, 2023 Kaylyn Yee
Culture

This 19th-Century Train Station Is the Second-Most Visited Museum in Paris

Feb 21, 2023 Morgane Croissant
Travel

The Most Luxurious Hotels on the Coastline of Goa, India

Feb 3, 2023 Matador Creators
12

French house built on a collapsed bridge over the Seine

A symbol of Vernon in France, the "Old Mill" still lies straddling two piers of the ancient bridge over the Seine. it has been a source of inspiration for many painters, including Monet. Photo by Shellorz

13

Inhabitable twisted house in the Indianapolis Arts Center

The Twisted House in the Indianapolis Arts Center in Indiana was created by John McNaughton of Evansville. It is made of cedar. Photo by Serge Melki

14

House with goose roof

The "Mother Goose" house in Kentucky was created by George Stacy in 1940. It has 8 egg-shaped windows and automobile lights as the goose's eyes. Photo by Cindy Seigle

15

Tiny house built on stilts

A perfect house for a hermit in the mountains, away from civilization. Just pull up the ladder and no more unwanted visitors. Photo by Brandon Baunach

16

A UFO shaped house in the forest

A concrete Spaceship House in Tennessee. It even has a drop down airplane door that leads directly to a bar. Photo by Heavybluesman

17

Dalat's Crazy House

A strange hotel designed by Dang Viet Nga, an avant-garde artist who got away with more weirdness than she otherwise would because she was the daughter of Ho Chi Mihn's successor. It's known as "Crazy House". Photo by upyernoz

18

Water tower transformed into a house in the clouds

The House in the Clouds was built in 1923 as the water tower in Thorpeness, England, disguised as a house to avoid it being an eyesore. Originally, there was an inhabitable five-story strcture covering the base and a second house shell built around the tank at the top. Later, when Thorpeness was linked to a main water supply, the tank was dismantled and the space turned into more living space. Photo by Christine Matthews

19

Montreal's Habitat 67 complex

Habitat 67 is a housing complex and landmark located in Montreal, Canada. Its design was created by architect Moshe Safdie, based on his master's thesis at McGill University and built as part of Expo 67. The building was supposed to illustrate the new lifestyle people would live in increasingly crowded cities around the world. Photo by Ryan Dickey