Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a cozy cottage straight out of a Grimm story? Well, then take a gander at these fairytale cottages. The majestic abodes are fit for a princess-in-hiding, a hobbit, or cannibalistic witch – either way, you’ll be safe from big, bad wolves and orks.
This lavish cottage, dubbed The Queen’s Hamlet, was custom built for Marie Antoinette as a rustic escape from Versailles in 1783. It served as a private leisure place for the French queen and her most intimate cohorts (most notably featured in Sofia Coppola’s biopic, Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst). The cottage is nestled within a quaint meadow, complete with lakes, streams, a private island, fragrant flowers, an octagonal belvedere, and a neighboring grotto and waterfall. Can you believe this place was abandoned after the French Revolution? Thank goodness it was renovated in the late 1990s and is now open to the public for viewing.
The most impressive thing about this Welsh home isn’t that it belongs in the Shire, but the fact that it was constructed for only $4,627. Simon Dale, a freelance photographer, built the house using only a chainsaw, hammer, and one-inch chisel after being fed up with high mortgage prices. It’s also eco-friendly – solar panels provide electricity, a wood-burning stove heats the house, there’s a composting toilet, and water is collected from a nearby spring.
Dan Pauly, owner of Rustic Way, specializes in building tiny homes out of recycled wood. He originally sought to build a sauna, but eventually created this unique Dr. Seuss-like design and placed it near a busy intersection by his home. It drew so much attention from passerby’s that he trademarked it and started a business making more custom houses, sheds, and other buildings incorporating the same theme.
Located near the Fafe Mountains in northern Portugal, this home is fully equipped with all the modern amenities – featuring a fireplace and swimming pool carved out of rock – despite its “Flintstone-esque” appearance. It was built between four large boulders that were already on site and blends perfectly into the natural landscape. It was originally made for a wealthy family in 1974 as a rural hideaway, but has since attracted droves of visitors. Because of its remote location and surging interest, the house has been subject to multiple robbery attempts and vandalism.
One of Hugh Comstock’s cottages, it is often referred to as Elspeth Rose Cottage. Elspeth was so impressed by Hugh’s other cottage called “Our House,” that she asked him to build her own – it was completed in 1929. Although the home looks as though it belongs in England, it’s actually located in Carmel, California.
This lovely cottage in Rhinebeck, New York sits on 8.76 wooded acres and features a stream, slate boulders, stone walls, frog pond, and Silver Mountain view. It was completely remodeled in 2004 and rebuilt from the ground up. Once a hot rental house, it’s now on sale for the low price of $700,000. The best part? It’s only 90 minutes from Manhattan – it only takes a short road trip to go from “Snow White” to “Sex and the City”.
This tiny house was originally a hunting cabin, but was transformed into an adorable, picturesque cottage fit for a romantic getaway. It measures 9 by 14 feet and cost $3,000 to construct and furnish the Victorian shack. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of this home is the inside: Limoges china with tiny rosebud patterns; chandeliers dripping with crystals; billows of tissue-paper garlands. The only downsides: no bathroom or kitchen. Oh well, that’s not a deal breaker.
This private estate in Siskiyou County, California is owned by the Hearst Corporation and is not open to the public. Designed in 1899, it was named after the local Native American tribe of the Wintun people and began as a humble fishing resort where it was later acquired by many notable people. The most famous owner is none other than William Randolph Hearst himself who fought over the ownership with his cousin. The land has been used by the Hearst Corporation to turn a profit with 67,000 acres being used for logging – as if the Hearsts needed any more money.