Remember the groovy Venturo Modular Home I showed you recently? Meet its predecessor, the Futuro, which was designed by the same forward-thinking Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in 1968. Whereas the Venturo promoted a “come for the weekend in your orange bikini” kind of lifestyle, the Futuro was more “come for the weekend in your silver space suit.”
Suuronen designed the Futuro when he was commissioned to create a modern ski cabin. It was built out of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic and was light enough to be lifted to remote sites by helicopter, where the steel legs could adjust to any terrain.
Only 96 were ever built, and only 16 are in the U.S., so this is a rare sighting of one in Wisconsin (it’s a vacation rental, so if you want, you can experience it first-hand).
I can only imagine what some unsuspecting hikers must think when they come across this spaceship in the woods. And then the hydraulic hatch door opens and the stairs slowly descend….
The interior of the Futuro was fully furnished and could accommodate eight people. Partitions could be used to create separate spaces for sleeping, and the seats in the living area converted into beds.
Here’s a happy Futuro family hanging out in the built-in seating area of the living room, above (do you think the kids have Tang in those cups?), and a mod mom cooking up something in the streamlined kitchen, below:
Here’s the inside of the Wisconsin Futuro’s kitchen today, which is much less colorful (I wonder if these cabinets used to be red, too?):
Check out the cool purple fireplace, below. And the mom’s white go-go boots:
Here’s a photo of a Futuro living room with a similar fireplace in it today (sadly, this one isn’t purple, and it’s hard to imagine anyone wearing white boots in here):
The Futuro House website explains that the Futuro house was short-lived because the high oil prices in the early ’70s sent the price of plastic skyrocketing, adding, “I personally think it was the lack of closet space which really turned off most women…and of course the men could not convince them that this was a wise purchase.”
I don’t know. If my husband wanted to buy one that still had that red kitchen, blue living room, and purple fireplace, I might be persuaded to park one in the backyard. How about you?
For more photos and information about the Futuro:
If You’re Hooked on Famous Architecture:
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s William P. Boswell House
- Matti Suuronen’s Mod Venturo House (Orange Bikini Not Included)























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Yeah, baby! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
Wait a minute, I’ll be back — I’ve got to get on a plane to Wisconsin!!
Woah, that’s grooveee baybeee !
Have you ever seen the “spaceship” house in nky ? It’s on the hill overlooking cork & bottle. WILD!
Melinda–
It IS wild. Love it. If anyone wants to see a video of the silver spaceship house she’s talking about, watch the “news report with interior tours” that I link to at the end of the post. It gives the history of that house, as well as some more information on the Wisconsin vacation rental I featured in this entry (it was shown on “Extreme Homes” years ago–anyone remember that episode?).
-Julia
FuturoMan Sez
Happy VD ( Valentine’s Day)
Thanks for including my site
Futuro-House.net<
I am a proud owner or one in central Illinois.
I am thinking about selling it. If there is anyone SERIOUSE in wanting to buy it give me a shout.
FuturoMan@futuro-house.net
Welcome, FuturoMan! Your site is way cool. Thanks for all the fun pics and great info. Everyone should stop by just to see the alien riding the pink flamingo on the front page! -Julia
Hi, nice article! I am the owner of the “pod” in Wisconsin. It was really a great find and we love it a lot. We are renting it in the summer and people are really having a fun time, renting quickly! A great lake, beautiful area and down-to-earth people make it a vacation you will not forget.
http://www.podupnorth.com
Later!
Drew
Welcome, Drew! Is your pod the one I featured at the top of this post? Love it!
Yes it is… Thanks!
I’m staying within Drew’s Futuro in a few weeks. I plan to blog about my experience there during the first week of June.
Thom
I’ve posted a photo of one that stands abandoned in disrepair outside Rockwall Texas…
hi there, i am really greatful for the hole futuro community in the usa. here in europe are only few futuros left and the one in berlin is the only famous one, thanks to the owner cora geissler. but i like to say that there are a lot more fascinating plastic buildings to discover. greatings, pamela
Hi Julia – This is too cool – a Jetson’s house! And I can’t believe you’ve managed to come up with a rental *and* a possible purchase – with only 16 in the entire US.
Liz
Hey, cool sight. My question is does any one know where I can buy one to transport to my area!? Contact me A.S.A.P.