Over on the southwest coast of Iceland, you'll find this traditional timber castle. The property's roofline and symmetrical windows create a shocked, open-mouthed face, making the property even more striking.
Humans tend to perceive faces in inanimate objects due to a cognitive phenomenon called facial pareidolia. It's a hangover survival instinct from our earliest ancestors where the brain seeks familiar patterns, like faces, in random arrangements in order to quickly tell a friend from foe.
David Alais from the University of Sydney, told The Guardian: “We are such a sophisticated social species, and... faces are detected incredibly fast. The brain seems to do this using a kind of template-matching procedure. So if it sees an object that appears to have two eyes above a nose above a mouth, then it goes, 'Oh I'm seeing a face.' It’s a bit fast and loose, and sometimes it makes mistakes, so something that resembles a face will often trigger this template match.”
Located in Lower Austria, this white house features a small but very distinctive face. Thanks to its jagged roofline that resembles spiky hair, its two square eyes and its bright red nose, the property is like a cross between a snowman and an animated movie character.
This chipper guy can be found in the Eastern European country of Belarus. Two square eye windows are positioned above a big red smile, creating the ultimate happy face. We're sure this property cheers up anyone who walks by it.
Found somewhere in Japan, this adorable building is home to both a restaurant and private apartments. Yet that clearly isn't why it's of interest. With its rosy cheeks, prominent eyebrows and wide mouth, the property looks to be embarrassed by its own cuteness.
Located close to Erie in Pennsylvania, this quirky American home has been likened to a fish, with bulging eyes, a pointed nose and a gaping, toothless mouth.
The arched opening at the base of this unusual property looks like a downturned mouth. Pair that with a prominent, nose-like embellishment and two porthole windows that are akin to eyes, the house appears to have a sad expression. If you want to see it for yourself, then head to the Heidelberg-Südstadt district of Heidelberg in Germany.
Probably one of the most recognisable face houses in the world, this end-of-terrace property went viral in 2016, when someone spotted that its exterior looks like German dictator, Adolf Hitler. Its slanted roofline and prominent door lintel definitely bear a resemblance to Hitler's side-parting and moustache, don't you think?
Located in Swansea, Wales, the property hit the headlines again when it went on the rental market for just £85 ($105) per week. Rather unsurprisingly, the Hitler House has been dubbed one of the ugliest in the world.
If you've ever been to Cuibul de Lemn, a hotel in Râşnov, Romania, then you might recognise this quirky little building. With its sharp, sloping roof and 3D windows that are perfectly placed to be eyes and a nose, the holiday home is as charming as it is unusual. The base of the building even looks like a flat mouth.
This Hobbit-style house lies in Keene, California, and is almost too cute to be true. With its hat-like roof, button eyes and nose-esque front door, the property looks like a squashed face – the doormat even acts as a mouth! The façade isn't the only quaint thing about the place, either. According to the listing, it features pendant lights resembling tea cups and teapots, as well as an outdoor chess board. The charming residence last sold in 2022 for £304,200 ($380k).
Speaking of cute, how sweet is this little house? It's positioned in the countryside of Aquitaine in France, surrounded by vineyards and dreamy chateaux. Thanks to the home's tiny, high-set windows and centralised door, it looks like a cheeky face with its tongue sticking out.
This single-storey bungalow, located somewhere in Thailand, has a rather unamused face. Its two low-set windows sit on either side of the front door, creating the perfect serious expression.
Residents of Berlin, Germany, will no doubt recognise this apartment building. Known as Kreuzberg Tower and Wings, the structure was designed by American architect John Hejduk and was completed in 1988, shortly before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Considered an iconic work of 20th-century architecture, many have spotted that its two identical side wings look awfully like simplified faces – we think they bear a resemblance to owls. What do you think?
While some buildings have accidental faces, it's pretty clear this store in Kyoto, Japan, was purposefully designed to resemble a cartoon figure – and we're here for it! With big, bulging eyes, a sharp nose and a large, round mouth, we have no doubt the shop is pretty enticing to passers-by.
We don't know whereabouts this house is situated, but we do know that it has an amazing, characterful face on its exterior. Thanks to a pair of large windows and perfectly placed hedges positioned below, it looks just like a goofy (but friendly) face with a set of large teeth.
With its rustic stone façade, this pretty property in Gordes, in the Provence region of France, would be a dream home for many. Yet if you head around the side, you might just see a face appear, thanks to its large dual windows, prominent chimney and arched opening that looks just like a gawping mouth.
Another historic building with an accidental face is this ruined property in the Kastro area of Skiathos, Greece. Thanks to erosion, the building's windows and doorway have exaggerated the face, while its rotund roof looks like a bald head.
How about this cool character? The rather simplistic house is situated in Penghu, Taiwan, and thanks to its bottom vent and two high windows, appears to have a bemused face. It looks almost like a spy or a cool, relaxed character, don't you think?
These sweet residential houses are located in the city of Doha, Qatar. Their arched entrance and perfectly placed windows make it look like a mother cuddling her baby. How's that for adorable?
This traditional stone house in Cyprus has a somewhat geeky face imprinted on its façade. It has a small mouth, a tiny nose, two eyes and even a pair of glasses, thanks to curving plaster mantels.
We're not exactly sure where this pretty house is located, but we love its exterior. With its hair-like roof, two eye-like windows and flower box that resembles a tongue, it looks a little like a panting dog or an emoji with its tongue sticking out.
This property lies somewhere in Switzerland and thanks to its turret, with pretty oval windows and decorative details that are akin to a mouth and eyebrows, it looks just like a friendly, childish face beaming down at the street below.
We don't know about you, but we think this pastel pink house in Cusco, Perú, resembles a robot. It has eyes and eyebrows, a triangular nose and a toothy grim, but thanks to their sharp lines and decorative details, these features look somewhat mechanical.
If you happen to be strolling around Tokyo, Japan, then keep your eyes peeled for this pair of goofy homes. With their bulging, googly eyes – which are actually lights – and gaping mouths, the properties are just a little bit silly.
This historic building in the town of Görlitz in Saxony, Germany, appears to have three eyes on its roof. As if watching from afar, the eyes no doubt appear to follow anyone who walks by. Creepy!
The Chikara Meshi diner in Tokyo, Japan, has a rather unusual façade. While some face houses are definitely lucky accidents, this one is man-made. With a pair of eyes, a long, thin nose and a toothy mouth that is the window of the restaurant, the building likely attracts plenty of attention.
Shy and sweet in equal measure, this tiny timber house in Catalonia, Spain, has such an endearing little face. Formed thanks to three narrow slits in the wood, that are positioned exactly where eyes and a nose (or mouth) would be, it's a characterful building that we can't help but love.
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