This 1960s-Style Space Cabin Is the Ultimate Sci-Fi Getaway
Out of this world.
The Futuro House looks like it’s ready to disgorge a gang of extraterrestrials looking for restrooms and snacks on their way elsewhere. But this summer at Marston Park in Somerset, UK, this space-age cabin is offering tourists a chance to go back in time to the swinging ’60s.
Back in 1969, the Boston Globe published an article about the fiberglass saucer-shaped cottage’s attempted invasion of American vacation spots.
Writer Jane Holtz Kay described the original Futuro’s “maintenance carefree Fibre-Glass” exterior which allowed for “cleaning by hosing” and a gaudy interior not obvious in the grainy black and white shots accompanying the piece:
The interior—here a mix of red carpet, baby blue walls, and purple cushions—consists of plastic and cushion. Nothing moves, scratches, or dirties permanently. The life guarantee is for 30 years.
Kay also quoted appropriately-named “former Philadelphia brownstone restorer” Warren Browne, who said the Futuro House “should last forever.”
It did not last forever.
According to the Marston Park page about the Futuro House, “few people bought them, and as such, only 68 are known to still exist worldwide today.”
The Futuro House at Marston Park was restored by artist Craig Barnes, who stated on his web page about the project that he “saved it from ruin in South Africa in 2013, then managed the deconstruction and transportation of it to the UK.”
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Barnes elected to redesign the interior with a milder 21st-century color palette—no wild red carpets and purple cushions here, just muted mustard-colored cushions and clean, molded white plastic.
Guests can expect the following, according to the park’s Futuro page:
Futuro at Marston Park comes with its own private facilities, set in its own glade with lake views. bathrobes, private bathroom facilities, linen and towels, piping hot shower, mood lighting, studio monitor speakers, tea & coffee making facilities, and outdoor seating with a fire pit.
Additionally, this “Futuro House has one main sleeping space with a double bed, and then flexible space for either two adults or two children.”
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Guests will also have access to “the landscape and facilities including the bar, restaurant, showers & [restrooms], and entertainment.”
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No cooking inside the Futuro House, however. With great foresight, the house’s Finnish designer Matti Suuronen (the first one was built in 1968) apparently thought future humans wouldn’t need to eat. Food and drink, however, are available “all day” elsewhere in Marston Park.
Prices based on a pair of adults sharing the lodging range from approximately $560 to $1,675 USD. The Futuro House will only be available for a relatively limited time. Anyone ready to go back to 1969’s idea of the future can book a stay here.
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