Take an inside look at more ‘retro futurist’ designs of the last century showing how architects and designers imagined we might be living in the new millennium. From the UFO-shaped Futuro house to the Monsanto prototype at Disneyland, these houses were designed with technology that didn’t yet exist, and tried to predict not only interior design trends but wider lifestyle changes.
Well known for its spaceship-like dynamic form, this futuristic piece of Palm Springs architecture is famous for another exciting reason. The King of rock ’n’ roll, Elvis Presley himself lived here in 1966, leasing the so-called 'House of Tomorrow' for one year when he was in his early 30s. Now the Palm Springs pad is back on the market we took the opportunity to take a peek inside...
The custom-built four-bedroom and five-bathroom family home was designed for Robert and Helene Alexander of the famed Alexander construction company in 1960. Featuring an ahead-of-its-time design, Look magazine deemed it the 'The House of Tomorrow' after visiting in 1962. Although now on sale for almost $5.7 million (£5.1m), Elvis rented the space age retreat for a year at $21,000 (£19k).
The entry path of this high-tech home welcomes you through double-height entry doors, framed by thick cobblestone walls. Once inside you’ll find a curved wall of windows providing plentiful views across the terrace, pool, and mountain views from your “sunken party pad” according to the listing, with a futuristic “steel beaker shaped fireplace hood and floating hearth”. The 4,695-square-foot home would have been the perfect place for the 'Jailhouse Rock' singer to unwind with then fiancé, Priscilla.
According to The News Tribune, the iconic pair were set to marry at the Palm Springs home, but had to hold a private wedding in Las Vegas once press found out about their nuptial plans. After they’d tied the knot, Elvis and Priscilla reportedly took their private jet back to 'The House of Tomorrow' in May 1967. Here they enjoyed their honeymoon before the Hollywood actor had to return to a movie set.
The spaceship-like winged roof line houses four circular pods, while the centre of the house filters down from a theatrical stepped waterfall. Indeed, circular themes run throughout the building, with a round centre island in the kitchen, while the primary bedroom suite features panoramic views from multiple curving windows. The spacious bathroom even plays host to a circular tub and private balcony that leads out onto an observation deck to admire the Californian palms and mountains beyond.
While the property has undergone a renovation since The King lived here, listing agent Marc Sanders said: “It still has all the architectural integrities of when it was built and now is upgraded to a modern living house to today’s living standards." The home sits in the covetable Vista Las Palmas neighbourhood of Palm Springs and is the largest building to be built by Alexander construction company. What’s more, it also boasts the largest pool too—according to the listing.
Back in the 1920s, forward-looking architects tried to create homes that championed wellness - such as the wonderfully ahead-of-its-time Lovell House (also known as the Lovell Health House). This international-style modernist residence in LA was designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927 and 1929 for physician and naturopath, Philip Lovell.
An early example of the use of sprayed-on concrete—or gunite—the Lovell House is widely hailed as the first steel frame house in America. The sparse design within reflects Neutra's interest in minimalism and Cubism.
This three-storey house resides across 4,800 square foot and was featured in a 1932 exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art, defining The International Style—a major architectural movement that developed in the 1920s and 1930s.
Sold in 1961 to Morton and Betty Topper, the Lovell House was later added to the list of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles. More recently, the house was used as a set in the crime drama hit film L.A. Confidential in 1997.
Located in Beverly Shores, Indiana, the House of Tomorrow was originally designed for the Homes Of Tomorrow exhibition, part of 1933's Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. With an emphasis on modern science and technology, architect George Fred Keck also aimed to create a symbol of optimism in the wake of the Great Depression.
This three-storey dodecagon building sits 42 feet in diameter and even hosts an airplane hangar, set four feet beneath the ground floor. Built using an aluminium fascia with vermiculite interior walls, its plate glass walls really define the building’s design.
Inside, most of the rooms are wedge-shaped and designed around a central staircase within the dodecagonal prism structure. Each window was altered in order for residents to be able to adjust the internal environment. When architect Keck found workers in their shirtsleeves in the midst of a cold winter, he claimed to have discovered solar heating.
The Indiana Landmarks group announced in 2019 that they were searching for a candidate to restore the House of Tomorrow. Estimated to cost a cool $3 million (£2.7m), it would take more than a passing interest in retro futurist architecture to own the building. The lucky investor would be granted a 50-year lease on the house.
An experimental former party house, the 1957 Research House was built as the fourth in a series of “field test laboratory” houses sponsored by a pair of magazines, House & Patio and Architectural Products. This future-minded hillside house welcomed an estimated 250,000 sightseers when it was opened for visitor tours.
The 3,000 square foot open-plan layout boasts grand floor-to-ceiling windows which provide dramatic views across the steep hills beyond the valley. Curved walls and extra large windows were a staple in the retro futurist vision of tomorrow.
This three-bedroom three-bathroom party abode played host to the cream of the era's Los Angeleno revellers, who would have enjoyed the Barker Brothers' design flair throughout. Wood-clad ceilings, metallic wallpaper and chandeliers paint a picture of luxury in this bedroom.
This time capsule boasts not one but two kitchens, accommodating both indoor and outdoor dining experiences. This one is set within a curved wooden cube, complementing the far-out green-patterned walls behind.
Designed by architect Pierre Koenig in 1959, the Stahl House can be found nestled within the Hollywood Hills of LA, California. Also known as Case Study #22, the house was built as part of the Case Study Houses programme and remains an icon of modernist architecture.
Photographer Julius Shulman helped establish building's iconic status with his photograph depicting two women reclining against the breathtaking panoramic city vista, visible thanks to the building's floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
It is no surprise the building has featured in a multitude of films and music videos, offering a breath-taking theatrical backdrop as the sun sets and the lights of the city begin to glow. The glass building cantilevers 10 feet over the Hollywood hills, providing the illusion of an illuminated floating box.
In 1999, the futuristic architecture of the Stahl House was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It is the only privately owned home in the the top 150 structures featured in the list of America's Favorite Architecture.
Demonstrating the wonders of modern plastics, the Monsanto House of the Future was stationed at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland in Anaheim, California, USA, from 1957 to 1967. It was a real must-see for children and adults alike!
The project was sponsored by Monsanto Chemical Company in 1953, and was carried out under the direction of Richard W Hamilton of MIT’S Department of Architecture. It was imagined that, in the future, we’d be living in mass-produced plastic housing, which they conceived as requiring ‘no upkeep’.
Upon entering the mass-produced house of the future, visitors would embark on a tour of what the late twentieth century would bring, such as a little-known invention called the microwave oven. Within six weeks of opening, the attraction welcomed over 435,000 visitors, with over 20 million sightseers crossing its threshold before the house was closed down.
The Monsanto House of the Future closed in 1967, but required more than a simple farewell to pass into history. The glass and reinforced plastic structure was too robust for demolition crews armed with mere wrecking balls, torches and chainsaws. Choker chains were employed to demolish the house into smaller parts, while the concrete foundation still remains today, painted green and transformed into a planter.
The chic, futurist styles and architecture depicted in this gallery inspired a remarkable series of adverts for Motorola that ran between 1962-3. Commercial artist Charles Schridde based his imagery on plans designed by well-known architects of the day, and made sure to feature many of Motorola’s electronic devices in his illustrations. See how many you can spot…
The couple in this illustration can take in breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains via their glass dome roof and floor-to-ceiling windows, or they can just watch their favourite variety show on television. And that is, of course, a Motorola television, encased in a hyper-modernist wooden surround.
Well, who doesn’t want to do their daily workout in full view of their neighbours? Fortunately, this solarium exercise room boasts movable tinted panels in case you decided you’d rather have some privacy during your aerobics routine. The panels also provide a handy shield from the sun’s rays. What’s more, the TV can be rolled about on wheels for a more active workout.
That's right, lean back in your Eames-style recliner and watch your son having a scuba dive in the backyard swimming pool. This particular futurist vision is based on architect Leon Deller’s concept of a modern ‘rec’ room, complete with pre-stressed concrete walls, ceiling and your very own aquarium filled with children.
Designed by ambitious Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie when he was just 23 years old, Habitat 67 is a model community and housing complex in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This government-sponsored project aimed to reimagine apartment living for future cities. In total, 90 pavilions were built for Expo 67, Montreal’s 1967 world’s fair, but just two remain today.
Arranged in varying configurations, Habitat 67 plays host to 354 identical prefab units. Over 12 storeys, 146 individual homes are stacked in a myriad of sizes and formats. Each unit also boasts at least one private terrace, from 225 to 1,000 square foot. Here we can see the interior of the courtyard.
The future-minded housing complex appears to take inspiration from Metabolism, a Japanese architectural group. This post-war movement championed the idea that architecture should create urban environments that are interconnected and organic.
Here we have the iconic Futuro pod – an undeniably spaceship-esque prefabricated house designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. Less than 100 were built during the late 1960s and early 1970s, making these intriguing structures particularly sought-after collectors' items. This one is pictured at the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finland.
One of the few Futuro pods still in existence has resided in Warrington, New Zealand since 1975. The prefab spaceship home was originally built in Christchurch, NZ, as one of 12 pods displayed at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Owners of a Futuro were asked to exhibit their dome home to the public for two days before moving in.
This particular space pod resides in Tennessee, USA, and is the work of building contractor, Curtis W King. In 1972 he began building this extraterrestrial design for his sons, attracting a lot of attention from passersby. Although his building – made with steel, concrete and fibreglass – is considerably heavier than the Futuro pod, King still managed to incorporate the iconic retractable staircase.
Designed to be cheap to produce and easy to assemble, Matti Suuronen's Futuro House pops up across the globe. This rather attractive blue one has flown from France to Somerset, UK and is one of only 68 that has survived, lovingly restored by UK artist Craig Barnes. If you fancy a night or two of spacecraft living, you can even book a stay in this pod.
In the late 1970s, architect Charles Schiffner was asked to imagine the future of residential living. He presented the House of the Future, filled to the brim with technological innovation and automated functions that successfully predicted a lot of the technology we use today.
This blueprint sketches out the shape and form of Schiffner's House of the Future. With a myriad of connected spaces, it's impressive!
As well as modern technology, Schiffner incorporated unique design elements throughout, such as solar panels, brightly coloured furnishings and a copper-clad roof. Here we can see the Wrightian furniture and eye-popping carpets.
From 1980-1982, the House of the Future was open to the public and welcomed over 200,000 visitors from around the world. Over the last forty years the futurist project has played host to three separate private residents who still use the original built-in computer systems.
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