spend the night at a restored 1960s futuro house in somerset’s marston park

taking center stage this summer at somerset’s marston park is a futuro house offering not just accommodation, but a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel back to the 1960s. first unveiled in 1968 and designed by finnish architect matti suuronen, only 68 saucer-shaped structures exist today occupying sites all over the world — including the one pictured here which sits on the banks of a lake, deep in the heart of the somerset countryside. 

images courtesy of marston park

futuro at marston park is a collaboration with artist craig barnes who brought the iconic piece of pop architecture from south africa to somerset. first dreamt as a rural holiday retreat, the future house is easily transportable and conceived to weather out winter conditions while acting as a ski lodge. this example was restored by barnes himself, rescuing it from dilapidation, and moving it from africa to the UK. the accommodation costs from £400 – £1,200 per night based on two adults sharing.

‘some workers were knocking down a building nearby and we thought perhaps they were going to tear it down too,’ barnes told wallpaper. ‘it was a wreck, there was no front door left, the windows were smashed in, but they let us in. it was horrible and grotty, but we found out who owned it. on an impulse while on top of table mountain, we agreed to buy it. so we bought it and shipped it home.’

for a limited time only, visitors can enjoy a spaceship-style scandi hygge living for as many nights as they want to book at marston park. the futuro house comes with its own private facilities. 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 are all available. it can accommodate up to 4 people with one main sleeping space complete with a double bed and a flexible space for either two adults or two children. there are no cooking facilities for guests, but food and drink is available all day on site.

‘it was always important to me that wherever it goes, it functions as a space to live and experience – an inspiring place that everyone can see,’ barnes concluded. ‘I never wanted this to be something that you cannot touch. I believe in the power of art and architecture and how it affects us. we have never opened [the house] up as a rental before; we hadn’t found the right home for it. at marston park they want to make unique experiences and there is a realm for artworks you can stay in and people are interested in that. it is the fulfillment of a longstanding dream to offer this womb-like structure for people to stay in and be in this otherworldly space.’

project info:

name: futuro house

location: marston park

restored by: craig barnes

price: from £400 – £1,200 per night based on two adults sharing