London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Would you buy this spaceship home?

Would you buy this spaceship home?

Could this 1960s space ship be your future guest house or garden play house?

We've seen a lot of striking tiny homes over the years, but this retro (yet futuristic) portable home for sale has us speechless.

Designed in 1968 by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, the Futuro was originally intended to function as a ski cabin or holiday home. It's estimated that fewer than 100 Futuro homes were ever constructed, all throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Now, only a small number remain in reasonable condition across the globe.

This UFO-shaped home has been listed in a sealed-bids sale, in Christchurch, New Zealand, after being in storage for years. It comes with a guide price of £155,600.

                

The current owner inherited it from a step-grandmother who lived in it for 15 years (although it's currently set-up as a museum piece, pictured above).

            

At eight metres wide, the Futuro is being sold as-is. Included in the sale are couch units, a fibreglass kitchen bench, shelving wall units and the original custom-shaped mattress.

            

Partial restorations have been undertaken, although it still needs a gel coat so the new owner will be able to select their own shade as part of finishing the outside shell.

                

Originally intended as a transportable ski cabin / chalet that would be easy to built and heat, with a structure that could be dismantled and reassembled in two days, the Futuro was designed to be compact.

            

Just 140m3 in capacity, the space efficient spheroid heats quickly. The shell was transported in pieces and could be put together from a kit-set in just two days. Due to its relatively light weight (2,500kg), the Futuro is portable, opening a range of 'landing options' to the prospective holidaymaker or homeowner.

            

When the Futuro was introduced in 1968, it was met with fascination. After 1970, with international demand for unique dwellings strengthening, manufacturing rights were sold to developers outside Finland and Futuros soon characterised landscapes all over the world. The 1973 oil crisis, however, caused the price of plastic to triple. Too unusual (or perhaps just ahead of its time), and ultimately too expensive to market to the masses, production of Futuro homes waned and eventually ceased in the mid-1970s.

The Futuro captured the attention of many artists, and visitors included the princes of Kuwait, Andy Warhol, Arthur Paul, the publisher of Playboy magazine, and Christo, the artist. Christo even transformed a Futuro into an artwork by wrapping it up.

            

Without restrictions on overseas buyers, the Futuro can be relocated to anywhere in the world for an extra cost - as long as a cradle is installed for it to rest on.

This Futuro house is for sale in a 'deadline sale' which means would-be buyers should submit confidential offers until the fixed date of midday (NZDT) on Saturday 5 December.

The guide price is £155,600 ($300,000 NZD). Interested buyers should contact futurochchnz@gmail.com.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×