Currently housed at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the Futuro house is a one-of-a-kind tiny house, built before tiny houses were even a “thing”. Constructed to look like a spaceship, this prefab house was engineered by Finnish architect Matti Suoronnen in the 1960s. It was restored by the current owner Craig Barnes, and it’s one of only 60 known in existence.
The Futuro House as it looked when found.
The Futuro House was located in South Africa, taken apart and shipped to the UK where Barnes spent a year and a half carefully restoring it to its original glory. The first Futuro house to be featured in London, floated along the Thames on a Ferry as a promotional move to help launch the house design in 1968.
The finished Futuro house – completely restored.
The round, eggshaped pod sits on stilts and access is via a space-vessel-styled “gangway” that folds down out of the house’s belly, sort of like the one on the Millennium Falcon. Lots of natural light fills the interior through a row of oval windows that encircle the entire structure. They look almost like alien eyes!
The Futuro’s prefab pieces stored for transit.
Along the outside edge, a separate chamber is accessible by an interior door. As a home this would be the most likely place for a bed chamber.
The interior features a row of futuristic seats along the outside wall, along with a table and chairs in the open central part of the space. A built in desk serves as a main focal point. The color scheme is a simple, large block pattern with a light blue exterior and a mostly white interior. Gold upholstery adds a bit of pazzaz.
The Futuro House interior before the restoration.
From the before photos, it seems Barnes took on an epic project. The house was in a state of disrepair! The finished project has a smooth, polished feel to it though. It’s a beautiful piece of work, reminiscent of the mid-Century modern ideals of what the future would be like.
The newly restored Futuro House interior.
To learn more about the pod-like Futuro House, visit the official website.
