Before tiny houses and other options for alternative living were even a thing, there was the Futuro home. Widely considered the proto-tiny home, the Futuro aimed to offer a fully-equipped movable vacation home to every family with a small disposable income.
The Futuro home was made entirely out of fiberglass, at a time when plastics were considered the future. Designed by architect Matti Suuronen as a ski chalet, it was meant to embody mathematical perfection, which led to its distinct UFO-shape. Though apparently compact, it was quite spacious on the inside and offered all the creature comforts of an actual home, with the advantages of a lightweight structure that was easy to thermally regulate.
The Futuro was introduced in 1968 and, for a couple of years, before the petro-chemical oil crisis started, held strong promise as the home of the future. By the time plastics became too costly to produce because of the oil crisis, only 100 units were built, 12 of which were done locally in New Zealand. To this day, a total of 60 units remain, and this one in Christchurch, New Zealand, is one of the most outstanding.
Unlike the two units on display at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the WeeGee Exhibition Centre in Espoo, Finland, this one is more of a restomod. It’s a unit bought decrepit by entrepreneur Nick McQuoid and turned into the centerpiece of the Area 51 Futuro House Resort. As Nick recently explained in a chat with Living Big in a Tiny House (see the video below), this is his way of honoring Suuronen’s legacy, and introducing the current generation to one of the most revolutionary housing concepts.
Photo: Airbnb / Nick McQuoid
Nick bought his first Futuro for NZ$50,000 (US$30,556 at the current exchange rate), a relative bargain considering how rare these houses are. But it was in very bad shape, so he had to strip it down to the individual layers of fiberglass and work his way up to what it’s like today.
Along the way, he strove to recreate the original elements and, where that wasn’t possible, to maintain the strong ‘70s vibe that would have been obvious in an original unit. The result is a tiny unlike any other you’ll see today: a trippy, flashy, vibrant tiny home that is both comfortable and functional, and simply oozes personality.
The Futuro is 8 meters wide and 4 meters high (26 x 13 feet), and offers 50 square meters (538 square feet) of interior space. In this unit, the space is divided between three bedrooms of varying sizes, a bathroom, and a large open-area living space that integrates the compact but fully-equipped kitchen. Like in the original Futuro, the bathroom is a wet one, where even the sink is made of fiberglass. The kitchen is for snack-prepping at most, but the living more than makes up for the cramped space with its plush wraparound couch and seated area.
Nick worked hard to make this Futuro into something out of the ‘70s, and you can tell. Outstanding touches include a Luigi Colani hybrid table-chair that had to be imported from Belgium, and Vernon Panton original light fixtures. Then, in the master bedroom, there is a queen-size bed that partly tucks away into the wall so you get more space to change: Nick explains that the bed actually rolls inside the bed in the other bedroom.
Photo: Airbnb / Nick McQuoid
In between these two bedrooms and a kids’ room right off the entrance, the Futuro can sleep three adults and four children, or more adults if they’re willing to try a snug bunk bed for a few nights. To compensate for whatever restrictions might be in terms of space, the resort offers a slew of on-site amenities, and they’re all pretty impressive.
Nick says he did his best to create his own version of a Disneyland at the resort, so it includes a pool, a Canadian wooden sauna, an outdoor lounge area, and even a McDonald’s piece of memorabilia turned into a sort of playground. Presumably in keeping with the futuristic theme, not though with the retro one, Nick picks up his guests in his Tesla from the airport.
The cost of the Futuro restomod amounts to NZ$113,000 (US$70,000), but Nick did much of the work himself over a period of four years. It was a full-time job restoring this home, he says, but one that he plans on further capitalizing by restoring another one: Nick has at least another Futuro in storage, with plans to bring it back to life.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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