In the introduction to H.O.U.S.E. (that is, Homes that are Outrageous, Unbelievable, Spectacular and Extraordinary), the utterly charming picture book that just hit bookstores this week, the editors write, “a house doesn’t need to look the way we take for granted it should. It doesn’t need to have things like permanently separated rooms or walls, or even stand on the ground. It can be constructed from bizarre materials and shaped in extraordinary ways.” Indeed — these adorable illustrations introduce kids (and adults!) to the world of unusual architecture. “If these fantastic homes already exist,” the book asks, “what houses will we see in the future?” Click through to see a few of our favorite outrageous and spectacular homes, and be sure to get your hands on a copy of the book to check out the rest.
The Bubble House (aka La Maison Bulle), France. Built by Antti Lovag in 1970. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Inflatable house (aka Tea House), Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Built by Kengo Kuma in 2007. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Clinging House (aka Rucksack House), Leipzig, German. Built by Stefan Eberstadt in 2004. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Pear House (aka Treetent), The Netherlands. Built by Dré Wapeaar in 1998. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Starry House (aka Laboratori a Tor Vergata), Rome, Italy. Built by Stefania Manna, Luca Galofaro and Carmelo Baglivo, 2004. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Egg House (aka Natural Ellipse), Tokyo, Japan. Built by Masaki Endoh and Masahiro Ikeda, 2002. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The House of Building Blocks (aka M-House), Gorman, California. Built by Michael Jantzen, 2000. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The See-Through House (aka R128), Stuttgart, Germany. Built by Werner Sobek, 2000. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The House for Drinking Tea (aka Takasugi-an), Chino, Japan. Built in 2004 by Terunobu Fujimori. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.
The Turtle House (aka Dragspelhuset), Glaskogen Nature Reserve, Sweden. Built in 2003 by Maartje Lammers and Boris Zeisser. Images from H.O.U.S.E., by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski.