Many people spend their summers at their supper residences. Cypriots are no exception. Most of them leave their stuffy city flats in August for a holiday away from the heat and dust, deep in the hinterland of Troodos. Almost half of the island's inhabitants have, if not a luxury villa, then at least a holiday home. We decided to search the world for the most creative summer homes. It turns out that the island of Aphrodite has something to boast about too.
Here are our top 10 most unusual holiday homes in the world:
Stone house, Portugal
Back home in Portugal, this house is nicknamed Casa do Penedo (Stone House). Engineer Vitor Rodrigues built it in 1974. The idea was noble: a maximum of natural materials and isolation from the hustle and bustle of the city. It seems that everything around it contributed to this: mountains, endless fields and even a nearby swimming pool that nature itself had created and carefully filled with water. But in reality, the stone house became so popular with the Portuguese that poor Vitor had to put up a high fence around it, install bullet-proof windows and then sell his brainchild as a museum. Talk about privacy.
Interestingly, the creator actually lived in the house of his dreams for the first few years. It has two floors. The ceilings are about 2.5 metres high, and instead of walls there are huge boulders. There was no electricity: light and heat were provided by candles and a large fireplace. The ground floor of the house has a tiny entrance hall, living room and kitchen. The bedroom is on the second floor, accessed by a wooden staircase. The rooms have a bizarre shape (it is not easy to sharpen stones evenly), so the engineer had to adapt the furniture. The house now houses a museum of photography and local rock history.
Round Cottage, France
Who among us hasn't dreamed of waking up in a beautiful clearing in the middle of the forest? With no mosquitoes, no rain, no snakes and no bears! For such romantics and inventors round dachas - houses in the forest or on the river bank with panoramic windows. The idea of creating such dachas did not come from any famous architect, but from the manufacturer of curved panoramic windows Lumicene from France. If you want to sell an unusual invention, show how it can be used. And Lumicene has done this perfectly.
The 5.45 metre diameter house consists of a bedroom, toilet and shower. It's not a complete house for living, but a comfortable place to sleep. The house can be transported to any corner of the world and set up on a flat surface, at least in the forest, at least in the mountains, at least in the field. By the way, the panoramic windows run on special rails and can be opened like doors: in the morning, someone opens the curtains and someone else opens the windows. A great idea for the perfect wake-up call.
Hobbit House, UK
Three thousand pounds and four months of work: Simon Dale, a photographer from Wales, proved that you don't need huge savings and loans to create an unusual and cosy Hobbit house. What's more, he dug his own Hobbit Hut without any building experience. First Simon found a suitable hill: high enough, with a steep slope. Then he brought clay from the nearest quarry to strengthen the walls. And he insulated them with straw. Inside, the enthusiast used wood panelling. The roof, however, was made of plastic so that it would not leak, and he planted a lawn on it. Such a wonderful house can be heated in two ways: inside there is a wood-burning stove, and outside there are solar panels. At the same time, it is very cool in the summer.
Being a self-proclaimed architect is fun,' says the photographer. - It allows you to create and enjoy a piece of yourself and the earth, rather than a mass-produced box.
Tree house, New Zealand
The idea of building tree houses is not new to humans: birds and animals live in trees. But humans have long since mastered the practice. But we particularly liked John Williams' house. It is partly on the ground (resting on the slope of the mountain) and partly on trees (the other supports are the trunks of pine trees). Despite its eco-friendly design, it is one of the most high-tech houses in New Zealand.
It has a remote-controlled lifting bridge and an electrically powered retractable platform. The remote is attached to the tree: dial a code and the bridge moves out. Dial another code and a platform with a hot tub appears from the top of the tree. The owner, a young designer, explained the idea simply: he wanted to take a hot bath while enjoying the view of the valley and sipping a cool beer. What's so unusual about it? The cabin is only 12 m2, it is warm in winter and cool in summer, there is a sofa. Instead of a TV, there's a big window with a beautiful view of the sunset. Basically, you don't need anything else for a perfect holiday.
Pine cone houses, Italy
In the Alps, among the pine forests, there are Pine cone houses. Their creator is the architect Claudio Beltrame. He chose this location for a reason: it is home to unique spruce trees that are used to make musical instruments. Unusual structures for summer holidays are attached to the trees in the form of giant cones. Each one has three levels: the first is a panoramic terrace, the middle of the second level is a staircase that leads into the room through two huge windows, and the third level is the bedroom, where just above the bed there is a circular opening through which you can see the sky. The buildings are only used in the warmer months, as they are inaccessible in winter because of the snow.
It should be noted that the project initially existed only on paper. In 2014 it won an architectural competition and in 2017 it became a reality in a mountain hut in the Italian Alps - on the border with Austria and Slovenia.
Mobile Floating Capsule, England
"The Exbury Egg began as an art installation but has evolved into a house on the water. The "Egg" is towed by boat, and the wooden cladding helps the house blend in with the surrounding marshes. The pod has a one-room living space with a shower, hammock and kitchen facilities. A removable platform provides access. The capsule swings slightly at low tide and is tied down with ropes.
M-Velope Transformer House
Designer Michael Janzen created the Transformer House to demonstrate how it can be reconfigured to suit the needs of the occupant. The position of the walls, doors and roof can be changed by moving wooden panels along a steel frame. Inside the house, benches can be folded away to make space when needed.
The M-Velope is only 22m2, so it fits into a small space. It is energy efficient and made from environmentally friendly materials. There are only 10 of these houses and they are ideal for summer holidays.
Triangular hut, Cyprus
A triangular wooden house in the village of Dierona has become one of the most photographed places in Cyprus. Back in mid-November 2020, this unusual dwelling for the island of Aphrodite was little known. After its pictures appeared on Instagram, around 50,000 Cypriots visited the site in front of the house. The triangular structure resembles a Swiss chalet in miniature. Locals have nicknamed it "the house of the gnomes". According to the head of the community, Vassos Menelau, the wooden house belongs to a resident of Larnaca. He bought a small plot of land, built a house and sometimes comes here to relax from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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