With Star Wars and Hello Kitty-themed apartments, plus real-life palaces, Harry Potter’s childhood house, homes featured in TV and films and an actual potato, Airbnb has some of the most unique accommodation listings around the world.
The booking platform is forever on the search for the most individualistic abodes, and now, it wants to help those with big ideas create their own.
Airbnb recently announced its first-ever US $1 million (AU $1.5 million) Unique Airbnb Fund designed to find and help finance the most unconventional spaces around the world.
Those with unusual ideas have the opportunity to submit their proposals via an online entry form. A panel of high-profile judges that includes Emmy, Tony and Grammy-Award-winning actor Billy Porter, Airbnb Superhost Kristie Wolfe and a global architecture firm will then score the submissions based on creativity, feasibility, sustainability and social good, before ultimately choosing 10 winners.
The Unique Airbnb Fund will then be split to allow those 10 lucky dreamers to build their proposed listings. Airbnb says the initiative “is meant to enable anyone with an extraordinary house idea to design and build it into a reality, and share it with travellers all over the world”.
“The only thing better than pushing the boundaries of style, is empowering others to do the same,” style icon, Billy Porter, says. “I’m thrilled to join Airbnb in this global search for the most outrageous, spectacular home ideas ever. I can’t wait to see these concepts developed by design lovers from around the world first-hand.”
Airbnb’s move to encourage more unique listings is a smart one, considering there has been a 70% increase in searches on the site for shepherds huts, windmills and tiny houses. Now, some of the platform’s most-booked listings include domes, treehouses, and yurts across the world.
Keen to put forward your own wacky and wonderful idea? Check out some of Airbnb’s most unique Australian properties below for inspiration.
Kimo Estate
JR’s hut is a stunning A-frame cabin on Kimo Estate, which at 7,000 acres is also home to larger accommodations as well as a working cattle farm. Far from rustic, the cabins offer more of a ‘glamping’ experience with modern finishes, a luxe bathroom, and a Scandi-inspired design.
Bruny Island Hideaway
The remote dwelling that is Bruny Island Hideaway sits completely off the grid and is designed with pale plywood interiors and minimal furniture to showcase the lush green surrounds. An outdoor tub allows guests to soak their worries away in a natural nature retreat that’ll have any visitor leaving refreshed and rejuvenated.
Alkira Eco-Glamping Retreat
Alkira is located on a 40-acre property in the Dandenong Ranges at Emerald. While the sleeping quarters are positioned within the main living yurt, a separate outdoor kitchen, and toilet and shower facilities sit nearby with plenty of lush outdoor seating areas.
You can submit your proposal to the Unique Airbnb Fund from now until April 16, 2020. 10 winners will be selected by the judges by May 15, 2020.