7 Jaw-Dropping Homes Around the World

Some of us may already have imagined our dream homes from an early age. Whether it is a sprawling castle with a moat (and a resident pet dragon) or a simple hole in the wall (hats off to the Hobbits here), you may need inspiration should you suddenly decide you are one of the lucky ones who are able to construct your ideal habitat. Here are some examples you may want to peruse before realizing your home design fantasies:

1. Reversible Destiny Lofts – Tokyo, Japan

The name may be a mouthful to pronounce but the sheer vibrancy and creativity of this residence never fails to amaze. The brainchild of Shusaku Arakawa and Madeleine Gins, both architects based in Tokyo, Japan, the Reversible Destiny Lofts is not just eye candy. The 9-unit rainbow-colored complex was constructed to simulate its inhabitants, mentally and physically. This is achieved through its amusingly bright colors, hard-to-reach power outlets and switches, uneven flooring and irregularly shaped living spaces.

Now you may never need to venture out of your home to exercise nor will you have the need to see a psychiatrist.

2. Klein Bottle House – Mornington Peninsula, Australia

According to the architects, Rob McBride & Debbie-Lyn Ryan, who built this marvelous structure, “The Klein bottle is a descriptive model of a surface developed by topological mathematicians.”

At first glance, the home may seem too geometric and unfriendly to the eyes, but upon stepping inside the beach weekend getaway, inhabitants will quickly realize that the harmonic quality presents a feeling of togetherness. Plus, it’s rather fun to have your sense of perspective challenged – those who have stayed in the Klein Bottle House admit to feeling both near and far from their fellow occupants at the same time.

3. Red Bridge Tea House – JinHua, China

Conceptualized by Fernando Romero, this dynamic house is one of the 17 structures located at the JinHua Architecture Park in China. Romero is enamored by borders and bridges, and this bold construction of his embodies this aspect. Visitors may be perturbed at the seemingly sharp incline of the structure but their fears are alleviated once they step inside the tea house that also acts a bridge on the pond.

4. City Bus-cum-RV, DIY style – Israel

Do you wonder what happens to old busses after they were decommissioned? Wonder no more, because two highly creative and enterprising Israeli women converted a dilapidated city bus into a spectacularly luxurious RV. Tally Saul and Hagit Morevski, both a former marketing exec and prosperous CEO of a local company, designed the RV from scratch with only several women’s fashion magazines for reference.

Owner and CEO of Albanese Builders, Leonard Albanese, agree that recycling unwanted structures and turning it into a completely livable habitat is a very wise move indeed. “We have to learn how to make do with what we have – those who are able to do so and construct works of art in the process are truly geniuses in the making.”

5. Tree in the House – Almaty, Kazakhstan

This four-storey “Tree in the House” home gives new meaning to living amongst Nature. The house is built almost entirely out of glass, giving others a transparent look into your life should you choose to be an inhabitant there. It boasts of a spiral staircase encircling a giant fir tree that stands majestically in the middle of the house. Architect Aibek Almasov spent approximately $400,000 to construct this awe-inspiring home for a environmentally-passionate businessman.

6. Habitat 67 – Montreal, Canada

This unique housing was designed by Israeli-Canadian architect, Moshe Safdie, who was also a fan of the prefabricated construction technique. Believing that his housing solution will lower costs and at the same time offer a deeper sense of aesthetics, the architect successfully integrated the high-rise apartment building with something other conventional apartment owers usually do not possess – a spacious, suburban garden.

7. 1970’s Bunker Home – Las Vegas, Nevada

Want to weather the apocalypse in style? If you have $1.6 million dollars to spare, you could purchase your very own Vegas home that comes with its own suburb-terranean 70’s-style bunker buried some levels below. Forget about dusty, damp and dark bunkers – this plush hideout (contained within a 16,000 square feet basement area) boasts of not one but TWO Jacuzzis, a heated swimming pool, three bedrooms and baths, sauna and spa, and not forgetting a barbeque grill should you feel the cravings for steak when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come a-visitin’.

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