‘This magical work of art is part Willy Wonka, part Big Lebowski, and totally unlike anywhere else.’
So says the Airbnb listing for The Bloomhouse, a ‘fairytale escape’ nestled in the woods of West Lake Hills in Austin, Texas.
The home was created in the 1970s by, as the listing says, ‘some hippies and a dream’. Dalton Bloom, its original owner and namesake, commissioned his friend and architect student Charles Harker as the designer. Together, they spent 11 years in the hills of Austin completing the whimsical structure.
The result is difficult to describe. Even Charles has never admitted what the 1,100 sq ft (102 sq m) space is inspired by, though its Airbnb listing likens it to a ‘giant seashell unicorn’.
The Bloomhouse (above) was created in the 1970s and took 11 years to complete. Located in the West Lake Hills in Austin, Texas, it now operates as a rental property
The listing describes it as a ‘magical work of art’ and ‘totally unlike anywhere else in the world’
It represents the ‘symbiotic interaction of man and nature’, according to its website. ‘Its organic shape, rising from the earth, mimics the flow of the air, the curve of the wind, and the gentle rise and fall of nature’s melody,’ it adds.
The methods and materials used to construct The Bloomhouse were as unique as the concept.
Charles began by making basic shapes from steel bars. He coated it in layers of polyurethane foam and used a hand-held pruning saw to sculpt the curves. He then finished the structure with layers of concrete stucco inside and out.
The design is intended to represent the ‘interaction of man and nature’
The architect has never admitted what the shape is inspired by. But the Airbnb listing describes it as a ‘giant seashell unicorn’. The above image shows the entrance to the property
The Bloomhouse interior is as striking as the outside.
It was described by local Austin magazine Tribeza as ‘like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland – mesmerizing and psychedelic’.
It features cherry wood accents, shelves and cabinets that are carefully carved into the dwelling’s natural shapes.
There is not a single straight line or corner in the property. Each room seamlessly connects to the next. The bathroom door is the only separation.
Although the structure received recognition upon its initial construction, it fell into disrepair in the 1980s. That was until 2017 when David and Susan Claunch purchased the property and saved it from abandonment.
The interior of The Bloomhouse has been described as ‘like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland’
The furniture is carefully carved into the property’s natural shapes. The bathroom door is the only barrier in the entire house
There is not a single straight line or corner in the property. Each room seamlessly connects to the next
The pair spent 18 months renovating the property and put it online for rental in 2019. It sleeps four guests and boasts a private patio, a balcony and views of downtown Austin.
The space is now available for long and short-term let by Austin company Lodgewell and is often booked up for weeks at a time. Its Airbnb listing says: ‘When you stay at The Bloomhouse, you are entering a place where magic can and will happen.
‘At The Bloomhouse, you leave behind the confines of modernity and the rules of logic, to live only in whimsy. We are alive in a fairytale of our own making. Let the story begin.’
But experiencing the magic doesn’t come cheap. A night in The Bloomhouse starts at $400 (£315).
To book a stay visit www.airbnb.co.uk or www.booklodgewell.co/The-Bloomhouse/.
