Top 12 Most Unique and Unusual Houses in the World

Across the globe, there are numerous captivating and creatively designed houses that catch the eyes of many. However, in Nigeria, this house stands out even more for travel enthusiasts, as it's designed in the shape of an airplane. Constructed by Said Jammal, a Nigerian-Lebanese man, this unique house was inspired by his wife's passion for travel.

The Airplane House is located in Asokoro district in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Similar to many other houses, this unique dwelling is fully equipped with amenities, including a swimming pool, prayer room, bedrooms, living rooms, and expansive gardens. It took Jamal three years to complete the construction after several modifications to meet the family's needs.

Situated in the capital city of Abuja, Nigeria, this distinctive “airplane” residence is the home of Mr. Jammal, his wife Liza, and their 6 children. The visionary husband began building the house in 1999, creating a solid concrete structure resembling a real airplane, complete with a tail section adorned with the green-white tones of the Nigerian flag on one side and the cedar tree pattern of Lebanon on the other. The luxurious residence is built within a compound with full amenities, including a guest house, a mosque, a swimming pool, and lush gardens, along with a shaded parking area. Inside the house are living rooms and bedrooms, and even a... throne! Mr. Jammal also meticulously crafted a miniature model of the entire house as a decorative piece. He mentioned that the house undergoes annual maintenance and design improvements as he sees fit. Additionally, the house is open to visitors who want to explore this one-of-a-kind architectural marvel.

This unique house with a shell-like architecture is valued at $218,000 and was built by architect Javier Senosisain from the Arquitectura Organica group. Inspired by the designs of Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright, this unique house is considered a perfect blend of humans and the natural world. Designed for a young family desiring to live in a truly special architectural home.

If you ever wondered what it feels like to live in a seashell, you can visit the special house called Nautilus in Mexico City. This shell-shaped house was built in 2006. It is designed not like conventional houses, but rather as a structure that is friendly and close to nature. From the outside, this house resembles a giant shell of the Nautilus species.
'The shell' has been painted a special color and has prominent shell-like veins to ensure that it is not mistaken for... an onion or similar-shaped objects. Moreover, the curved lines inside the house make people feel like they are living in a spaceship, not limited by the dry walls of conventional houses. More importantly, the highlight of this house is the many, many colorful glass doors. When sunlight shines through during the day, the space inside the house is covered in a rainbow of colors and combined with green grass carpets just like scenes from fairy tales. The kitchens and bathrooms are beautifully adorned with stone, making the house even more surreal and unique.

The beauty of modern architecture can still blend into the surrounding nature if you have the opportunity to visit this house, which will make visitors feel that way. Architects made it more friendly by opening many windows from all sides. Just the name is enough for you to imagine its structure. The house is built quite uniquely with a shoe-shaped design.

The Shoe-shaped House, valued at $127,000, was built in 1948 by eccentric millionaire Colonel Mahlon Haines. Initially intended to promote Haines' business, it later became a retirement home. The house, measuring 13.7m long, 5.1m wide, and 7.6m high, includes two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. In recent times, the house has been improved and used as a unique museum. This house was built by shoe salesman Mahlon Haines in 1948 to advertise his goods. This house is likely to arouse curiosity for onlookers. The living room is located at the toes, the kitchen at the heel, two bedrooms at the ankles, and an ice cream shop at the instep.

The Shoe-shaped House is now open from June to October to welcome visitors. As a Pennsylvania attraction, the house has changed hands several times, and it currently serves seasonal tourists. This extremely unusual house is often recommended by tour guides for visitors to explore!

This is a unique and quite famous hostel known as Dog Bark Inn, a masterpiece of artists Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin. The house was built in 2003, valued at $1 million, in the shape of two Beagle hunting dogs. Besides renting out these two special houses, the couple also sells souvenir items carved with cute dog figures made of wood. The dog-shaped house called Dog Bark Park Inn is an interesting destination in Cottonwood, Idaho. The house, 9 meters high, was built since 2003. Visitors must book in advance to have the opportunity to spend the night and enjoy breakfast in this unique house.

If you're a dog lover, then The Dog Bark Park Inn in the US is the perfect choice. This hotel is shaped like a giant dog. Up to 4 guests can stay here each night. The two-story design of the house is nestled entirely within the cute animal, closely connected with humans. The Dog Bark Park Inn hotel is located in Cottonwood, Indiana, USA. It is a project designed by Frances Conklin and Dennis Sullivan with shapes resembling their beloved pets.

This unique house is located in Hyde Park, Ohio, USA, with a value of up to $349,000. The house is the creation of architect Terry Brown, a professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati. The project uses a variety of materials including wood, stained glass, ceramics, and various metals combined to create some irregular but very unique and impressive shapes. This Mushroom House is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was built entirely to serve university students from 1992 to 2006 as their second home.

Architect Terry Brown, the designer of the house, faced quite a bit of criticism when he erected a house with an unusual shape in a rather upscale area of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Brown's idea developed as he began experimenting with materials such as wood, stained glass, shells, ceramics, and various metals to create designs that mimic things found in nature. Despite being a professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati, Brown often had to defend the unique design of the house against the ridicule of neighbors before he passed away in 2008.

This house is designed by talented architect Maskus Voglreiter, located in Gigi near Salzburg, Austria, completed in 2003 with a value of up to $1.4 million. Not only is it a house with a unique architectural style reminiscent of suburban homes from the 1970s, but it also bears a striking resemblance to a Volkswagen Beetle. This project is also recognized as environmentally friendly and energy-efficient.

The Car.Das Auto restaurant and the Auto Residence are two unique architectural wonders based on the classic design of the legendary VW Beetle, located north of the city of Salzburg, Austria. The design idea for these eye-catching houses began nearly a decade ago when the owners of the 1970s-style homes adjacent to the nature reserve in Gnigl, near the city of Salzburg, shared their desire with architect Markus Voglreiter. Their aim was to transform the appearance of the houses into a car, bearing the distinct features of the Beetle. Their dream was realized when the project was completed in 2003.

Upon completion, the houses named Auto Residence and The Car - Das Auto restaurant, boast a unique design with interesting details such as windows shaped like headlights and house columns resembling car springs in the suspension system. Alongside the unique automotive-style features such as headlight-shaped windows and spring-like house columns, Auto Residence is also environmentally friendly through the use of energy-efficient heating systems and significantly reduced thermal insulation energy consumption. The distinctiveness of the Auto Residence led to the creation of The Car.Das Auto restaurant and bar four years later. The cost to build this unparalleled restaurant was approximately 1.6 million Euros.

This unique two-story toilet-shaped structure is valued at $1.1 million and was built by Mayor Sim Jae Duck of Suwon City to commemorate the first meeting of the World Toilet Association in 2007. The World Toilet Association was established to provide clean and efficient toilet systems for over 2 billion people living without toilets worldwide. With a total area of nearly 420m2, this house includes a main entrance through a large balcony on the roof, a large and unique bathroom placed right in the center of the house.

Haewoojae House is located in Suweon City, 40km south of Seoul, South Korea. This toilet-shaped house is constructed from materials including steel, white concrete, and glass. Haewoojae was built as part of a campaign to raise awareness about environmental sanitation. Despite being surrounded by cool green forests, the Haewoojae toilet house does not have a swimming pool. The owner of Haewoojae also built some other auxiliary structures within the house compound. According to the owner, this is the world's first toilet-shaped house.

The house is designed over two floors, with a small front garden, covering a total area of nearly 420 m2, built with steel and concrete materials, costing $1.1 million and taking 6 months to complete. There is a grand spiral staircase here. The main entrance leads through a roof balcony around the edge of the building. A large and unique bathroom is placed in the center of the house. A play sensor triggers orchestral music when guests enter. To spend a night in this house, guests will have to pay $50,000. But if budget is tight, you can visit for a fee of $1, considered a charity donation. This amount will be collected and donated to the Korean Toilet Association to build and renovate public toilets in developing countries. Mr. Sim believes that public sanitation is a very important issue. Currently, approximately 40% of the world's population, or around 2.6 billion people, do not have toilets for use. 2008 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Sanitation.

Designed by the talented architect and sculptor Robert Bruno, this steel-clad house carries a value of $3 million and took 23 years to complete construction, using 110 tons of steel sourced from around the world. This house is considered one of the world's art masterpieces, with which author Bruno proudly calls himself an 'architectural sculptor.' Robert Bruno, a self-proclaimed architect, sculptor, and artist, created a steel house - an artistic masterpiece. Aesthetics and technical talent blend in a spectacular structure weighing over 100 tons. Like a favored flight, The Steel House in Ransom Canyon east of Lubbock, Texas, the spiritual child of steel sculptor Robert Bruno, stands within a classroom. It's a dome-shaped building constructed with 110 tons of steel. Among all the famous steel buildings nationwide, this one is unique.

The design is highly organic with many curves and inclines. From afar, it resembles a yacht sailing through the landscape of West Texas. Standing on the four legs of Cameron and seemingly reaching out to touch a nearby rock, The Steel House looks like a lair that a James Bond villain could occupy, according to architecture critic Mark Lamster of the Dallas Morning News.

The house has stood empty since 2008 when Bruno passed away from cancer. The building remains unfinished to this day, but while alive, Bruno continued to build and modify the house himself. He would remove parts he no longer liked and modify the house until the day he left this Earth. Currently, it stands with unfinished floors, large voids between various levels, and empty legs where a library and fish pond will be installed. Bruno welded the steel structures together to form the house's framework, rather than relying on a metal or wooden frame specifically designed to support steel panels. Aesthetically, you may not like its appearance, but the talent of the house's creator cannot be denied.

Built atop a waterfall in 1935, this house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family is valued at $2.6 million. With its picturesque scenery and serene ambiance amidst nature's beauty with the sound of cascading water day and night, this house is truly a dream for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the natural world, unaffected by the hustle and bustle of modern life. The villa is ingeniously and meticulously built over Bear Run stream (USA), allowing people to enjoy peaceful nature amidst the sound of flowing water day and night.

Situated above Bear Run stream, in Pennsylvania (USA), Fallingwater villa is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of all time in American architecture. The main structure of the three-story villa is a system of concrete and steel support balconies. The interior of the house is made from materials close to nature to balance with the modern architectural concept. Large glass doors allow homeowners to enjoy meals while admiring the natural scenery outside. With the tiered structure of stone walls over the stream, building a resort villa above is no simple task. This house is deemed a must-visit destination in life. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects evaluated it as the most beautiful work of American architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright is recognized as one of the most talented architects of all time, and Fallingwater house is considered his outstanding work by Time magazine.

Appearing secluded amidst the lush green foliage with giant natural arms seemingly spread wide to cover the building, the Koffmann villa stands out challengingly for those who visit the house above the waterfall (fallingwater).

Originally just an architectural design for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family residence, located in the rural area of southwestern Pennsylvania. Wright drew up the construction plans in 1934. A year later, the initial construction began. It took 3 more years for construction and renovations, and in October 1937, Fallingwater was officially handed over and introduced to the public.

Hang Nga Villa or the Weird House (known as the Crazy House in English) is a guesthouse in Da Lat, located at 3 Huynh Thuc Khang with a wide campus of nearly 2,000 m2. This house is famous for its unique architectural style.

Since its opening in 1990, this building has been recognized for its unique architecture, highlighted in travel guides and ranked among the top 10 weirdest buildings by the Chinese People's Daily newspaper.

Hang Nga Villa comprises several buildings and guesthouses, cafes, and art galleries with a distinctive style. The interiors of the building include caves, winding corridors, spiral staircases, quirky furniture, and large-sized animal statues. There are no straight lines or right angles, no 'straight path'. Impressions can be created with space, corridors, staircases, windows, or furniture - everything seems to have melted at high temperatures and then frozen into peculiar shapes.

Between the buildings are stump trees, concrete-made bone-like branches, and giant spider webs made of zinc wire. There is a small tea room inside a large Giraffe statue. The guest rooms are named Pumpkin, Kangaroo, Bear, Bee, etc. All rooms can be booked for overnight stays as usual. Currently, every year, the 'Crazy House' welcomes about 100,000 visitors, mostly foreigners. The architect and owner of the building is Dang Viet Nga, the daughter of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh and the late General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam - Truong Chinh.

As a child, she attended Vietnamese children's school in China (1951-1954) and high school in the Soviet Union. She graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute (1959 - 1965), then from 1969 - 1972 continued her studies and obtained a PhD in the Soviet Union. In 1983, she left Hanoi to live in Da Lat and had this building constructed.

This unique architectural masterpiece is located on the southwest coast of France. Famous with the name 'Bubble Castle', it was designed by a renowned architect known for his unconventional style, Antti Lovag. This building covers an area of nearly 4,000m2 with a total of 28 bedrooms, all designed in circular harmony with round beds. The estimated value of this house reaches 9 million USD. It has been used to host numerous parties and large events. With its distinctive architectural style, the French Ministry of Culture has officially recognized this structure as a historical landmark, even though it's not yet 50 years old.

Looking at the overall structure of this mansion, it's not hard to understand why Palais Bulles is called the 'Bubble Castle'. The house was built from 1975 to 1989. This mansion resembles a small village rather than a single house. The living room architecture is also themed around bubbles. Even the sofa seats are made in circular shapes. The reception rooms also feature circular structures but with very unique and exotic wooden furnishings. The mansion has 10 bedrooms, including one with a view of the Mediterranean Sea and Cannes Bay.

Every interior detail blends seamlessly with the bubble theme of the house. Even the bathrooms of the house are not exempt from the bubble concept enveloping the building. It's very difficult to find straight lines within this house. The staircase of the house is also curved and visually striking. Outside the house is a vast garden covering 8,500m2, including a swimming pool and a pond. Everything is circular. The mansion is particularly impressive with a stage area that can accommodate up to 500 people, for organizing events or concerts. At night, the light from inside the house shines down on the pool, creating a sparkling, magnificent space like a palace. This mansion was once owned by the famous fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

Remodeled from a fortress situated in the Solent strait in the UK, No Man's Fort Hotel is a luxurious destination offering extravagant parties and indulgent resort services for travelers. Anyone can throw a James Bond-style wedding on land, but hosting it at No Man's Fort Hotel amidst the open sea is undoubtedly a more grandiose choice for a truly memorable event. No Man's Fort is a luxurious and secluded tourist spot located on the Solent strait in the UK, 1.4 miles from the Isle of Wight. Originally built in 1867 to protect the city of Portsmouth, today it has been refurbished into a hotel and event venue, offering lavish parties or a remote retreat from the bustling world.

This fortress comprises 4 floors with a total entertainment, accommodation, and dining area of nearly 7,000m2. The hotel features 22 bedrooms, a billiard room, a game room, outdoor hot tubs, sun decks, sunbathing terraces, and a spa. Adventurous guests can indulge in activities such as canoe racing, high-speed jet skiing, kayaking, or kite surfing. No Man's Fort will open its doors to guests on April 23rd. A three-day getaway for two here costs approximately $514 per person.

The expansive hotel location on this island is the perfect haven for those weary of the city's hustle and bustle. Right at the center of the venue, you can find a lighthouse with floor-to-ceiling glass windows providing breathtaking panoramic views of the sea.