It’s Been Called a Mushroom or Hobbit House—the Owner Just ‘Loved Old Fairytale Books’Earl Young, a self-taught builder, brought fairytales to life starting in the 1920s in Charlevoix, a resort town in Northern Michigan, by constructing three-dozen homes, known as “mushroom houses” or “hobbit houses,” can be seen today in the town…Read More
Building a Home Basketball Court so Nice NBA Players Come KnockingDustin Smith has watched Portland Trail Blazers guard Ben McLemore and Sacramento Kings guard Terence Davis perfect their free throws courtside. Smith didn’t have to go far. The pro players practice on the professional-grade court at Smith’s 4,739-square-foot home in El Dorado Hills, near Sacramento…Read More
For Aspiring Rock Stars or Music Pros, Home Recording Studios Are the Ultimate LuxuryFor musicians, perhaps the ultimate dream home amenity is to have a recording studio of their very own—the more bells and whistles, the better. In Placerville, Colorado, a professional recording studio known as “Studio in the Clouds” is part of a Western-style main house…Read More
Back to FuturismLittle did London-based architect James Whitaker know during his childhood, but the shipping containers along the docks in his hometown of Liverpool, England, would inspire one of the past decade’s most buzzed-about architectural projects: Starburst House, a futuristic home he designed about 12 years ago. Unlike many brilliant ideas, that design didn’t begin with scribbles on a paper napkin…Read More
‘Star Trek’ Mansion Brings the Show to LifeWhen Marc Bell, an unapologetic lifelong Trekkie, decided to build his dream house in Boca Raton, Florida, he viewed it as a showcase for his enormous collection of “Star Trek” memorabilia worth millions. He had been collecting (or if you ask his wife, Jennifer Bell, “hoarding”) for decades, tapping auctions as well as other film and TV fans for the rarest and best pieces…Read More
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