Yearning to lie low and go off the radar for a while? Well, these cleverly concealed homes are the ultimate secret escapes. Hiding in plain sight, these dazzling dwellings effortlessly blend in with their surroundings. Blink and you might just miss them...
From magical mirrored homes to subterranean retreats buried below the ground, click or scroll on to discover the coolest camouflaged cribs in America.
If you know anything about New Mexico, you'll know it's a state that's filled with amazing natural landscapes, from arid deserts to red cliffs, lush grasslands and snow-capped peaks.
In the heart of Rio Arriba County's wild wilderness, you'll find a cleverly hidden home that perfectly blends in with the rich, rusty-coloured hues of the hills that surround it.
The charming adobe home lies in Dixon, an artist's village, and like all similar traditional homes, was constructed from natural and organic building materials, including mudbricks.
Even the home's shape is organic and unique, reflecting the natural curves and angles of the hillside behind the property.
Inside, the home is warm and cosy, with exposed log beams decorating its ceilings.
Natural hardwood floors, local artworks and arched doorways add to the home’s charms, while its extensive windows frame mesmerising views and gorgeous sunsets.
As for rooms, there's a lounge, a dining area, a spacious kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, making the place ideal for five guests. The highlight is perhaps The Tower bedroom, which is only accessible by a steep ladder staircase and lies in the home's turret-like tower.
Plus, entirely eco-friendly, the house uses a swamp cooler that keeps the interior comfortable, even during the height of New Mexico’s summer.
Tucked among the trees next to an idyllic lake in Beach City, Ohio, this modern A-frame cabin is completely camouflaged, thanks to its clever placement and use of natural and complementary materials.
Entirely romantic and perfect for two people, the property almost hangs over the water and features an exterior porch and balcony, which are perfect for sitting back and soaking up the scenery.
There’s an alfresco dining area, lounge chairs and even a campfire for cosy nights under the stars. The yard also offers hammocks for reclining and kayaks for hitting the lake in style.
Inside, the A-frame is modern, bright and entirely cosy. The ground floor benefits from a sitting area, kitchen and queen-size bed.
In front of the lounge chair, there’s a log-burning stove that’s perfect for getting toasty during the winter months.
The property also boasts a snug loft, in the ceiling of the A-frame. It’s kitted out with a soaking tub, a small library and a reading chair. There’s an additional full bathroom, too, with a walk-in shower.
Plus, the home’s backup power generator means guests will never be without power. If you've fallen in love, the property is available to rent via Airbnb.
Aptly named, Cabin on The Rim sits on a seemingly precarious ridge, on the edge of the Crooked River Gorge in Jefferson County, Oregon.
Perched high above the area's wild and rugged landscape, the tiny home is entirely off-grid and if you didn't know it was there, you'd easily miss it.
Thanks to its location, the micro cabin enjoys breathtaking views of the canyon that seem to go on for miles and miles. The property sits near a trailhead, too, which provides private hiking routes for lucky Airbnb guests.
The home's exterior balcony is also the perfect place to enjoy awe-inspiring scenery, without having to lift a finger.
Inside, the cabin is compact and cosy, with a queen-size bed, a sitting area and a tiny kitchenette that has a French press coffee maker, a grill and a camping stove.
With a neutral interior palette, the home allows the landscape outside to take centre stage.
Sustainable and self-sufficient, the cabin runs on solar power and there’s a portable bathroom on site as well. Guests are given a supply of fresh Opal Springs water to use, as well as torches and lanterns for when the sun goes down.
If you look closely enough, you may just be able to spot the Invisible House. Located in the heart of Joshua Tree National Park in California, the mirrored property is quite unlike anything you might have seen before.
Designed to resemble a New York skyscraper lying on its side, the unique reflective home magically dissolves into its desert setting.
The building was designed by architect Tomas Osinski and Hollywood producer, Chris Hanley. It boasts a long and slender steel frame that's covered in mirror-like tempered glass.
Known as 'Solarcool' glass, this special material reduces the home’s carbon footprint to near zero, making it eco-friendly as well as beautiful. Elevated subtly off the ground using concrete stilts, the property appears to cantilever over the desert on which it sits.
The building’s structural elements do all the talking inside, with concrete floors, an exposed metal ceiling and endless glass walls, which allow for unobstructed views across the surrounding 90-acre (36ha) estate.
There are 5,500 square feet (511sqm) of inside space, formed from one continuous living room with a kitchen, lounge, dining area and a 100-foot-long (30m) swimming pool that further reflects the desert outside. With three bedrooms and four bathrooms, there’s more than enough space for eight people.
A solar hot water system heats the entire house, including the 47,000-gallon (177k litres) pool. Plus, from the comfort of the master bedroom, guests can enjoy mountain views and wildlife watching, including native lions, eagles and coyotes.
The envy-inducing abode is now a luxurious Airbnb holiday home and reportedly, Demi Lovato even vacationed here in June 2020. It also featured in season seven of Netflix's Selling Sunset.
Upon first glance, this hilly patch of land appears rather uninteresting, but look closely and you might just be able to spot one of the world's most concealed homes.
Built seven feet (2.1m) underground, Edgeland House was inspired by one of America’s oldest home-building traditions, the Native American Pit House. Though it’s not obvious from this angle, what lies beneath the dirt is far from what you might expect...
Designed by the architects at Bercy Chen Studio, the earth house was completed in 2012 and sits beneath the surface of the ground.
The home's insulated roof and subterranean setting take advantage of the earth’s mass and use it to maintain a comfortable interior temperature throughout the year, which is particularly important in Austin, where summer temperatures can soar.
Angular and architecturally unique, the property sits inside a deep excavation on a redundant brownfield site. The purpose of the project was to heal the land after its industrial past.
In its place sits a modern masterpiece, with some seriously innovative design features, including a triangular pool and private terrace.
Though a large part of the property is concealed underground, its architects ensured that plenty of natural light can filter into its spacious interior.
Angled to imitate the form of the hill, the floor-to-ceiling windows create a modern space while encouraging indoor-outdoor living to its fullest. The underground retreat features 1,400 square feet (130sqm) of living space, with towering ceilings and an airy, open-plan layout.
In a forest just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota, you’ll find this glass and mirror woodland retreat by ALTUS Architecture + Design.
The verdant surrounding scenery – woodlands, wetlands and a stunning lake – guided the design choices on this project to a stunning final effect.
The remarkable modern home is made up of three connected wings and is fronted with an attractive courtyard, along with a storage shed clad with panels of polished and mirrored stainless steel.
This mirrored shed was primarily built to reinforce the surrounding views and incorporate the natural landscape into the home's architecture.
The central area of the house offers a spacious open-plan living area, dining room and kitchen.
Here, the sleek, modern furnishings, pared-back décor and floor-to-ceiling windows allow the focus to remain on the outside landscape.
The fireplace was created out of bluestone and blackened steel, drawing on regional materials to add an element of cosiness to the minimalist lounge.
Walnut finishes and wooden beams also reinforce the property’s connection to nature, as well as adding some textural interest.
Designed by Feldman Architecture, Mill Valley Cabins is one seriously eye-catching piece of real estate.
The charming property was commissioned as a private retreat for its owners, who dreamt of owning a home that harmoniously blended into its landscape.
Located in the heart of a forest on the outskirts of San Francisco, the remote cabins sit on a steeply sloping site that offers breathtaking views of towering pines and redwoods.
Formed from numerous structures that slot between the trees, the home's construction had a minimal impact on its surroundings, while still providing the homeowners with ample interior space.
The home's rooftop garden has been described by the architects as 'quilt-like', which perfectly sums it up! The living roof provides space for growing flowers and plants, but also seamlessly blends in with the hillside.
Inside, the cabins are light-filled and spacious, with towering ceilings and simple whitewashed walls. Its minimalist interior boasts everything you could need for modern living, including a private artist's studio.
Exceptionally large floor-to-ceiling windows allow residents to reflect on the beauty of nature while remaining warm and nestled inside.
One of New York’s oldest and most iconic cast-iron structures was renovated in 2016 and transformed into a contemporary residential unit.
However, it isn’t just a facelift that Obsidian House received, as its inhabitants were soon to discover that the building was hiding a secret…
Tucked away out of sight is a series of ultra-modern rooftop apartments, known as The Stealth Building.
The owners of the property were only permitted to construct these unbelievable penthouse properties if they were capable of keeping them completely invisible from the street, since Obsidian House is a historic listed building.
The team at WORKac took on the unique design project and created some seriously cool apartments, complete with compact kitchens and open-plan living areas.
A small herb garden is located above each kitchen, allowing residents to experience a little bit of greenery from the comfort of their homes.
In addition, a roof terrace has been tucked away behind the historical building’s original pediment. The structure’s old elevator shaft has been transformed into a Jacuzzi and there's plenty of space for outdoor entertaining.
Can you imagine kicking back and soaking up that spectacular view across Manhattan?
Part rock, part home, The Pierre (which means stone in French) was purposefully designed to slot into the rocky landscape of the San Juan Islands in the American state of Washington.
Incorporating stone, greenery and foliage into the design, the architects at Olson Kundig created a contemporary structure that effortlessly morphs into the landscape.
Formed from steel, concrete and drywall, the modern property was curated by Tom Kundig. The owner’s affection for a stone outcropping on her property inspired the unusual design of the house.
To nestle the property into the rock, portions of the stone were excavated by machine and by hand.
Yet the excavated rock didn't go to waste. It was reused and crushed up to create the home's sleek concrete floors. Excavation marks were left exposed across the stonework, too, offering a unique reminder of the building process.
Inside, the site's natural rock has been incorporated into the interior design – in fact, the home's fireplaces are all carved out of stone.
The home's organic palette of materials seamlessly blends to create a harmonious backdrop for the property’s luxurious furnishings. A large pivoting steel and glass door allows access to a terrace just beyond the open-plan kitchen.
This beautiful, brutalist home is the perfect showcase for the beauty of raw rock.
Located in the hamlet of Garrison in Putnam County, New York, Manitoga House was once the home of industrial designer Russel Wright, who was best known for his line of ceramic dinnerware.
The modernist home, also known as Dragon Rock, is considered an outstanding example of organic modern architecture and was constructed between 1949 and 1961.
The home’s design was remarkably innovative for its time since it was deeply integrated within its rocky, woodland site. Wright and his architect, David Leavitt, placed the home directly on a rocky outcrop, that was part of an abandoned quarry.
Leavitt was inspired by Japanese architecture and utilised natural materials, such as stone and wood sourced directly from the estate, to construct the residence. This led to the property appearing almost invisible from certain positions.
Even from the entrance, the home is deeply embedded in the woodland, looking as if it has grown from the ground. Wright designed the interior himself, incorporating plenty of glass to further connect the inside with the landscape outside.
The interior benefits from a 30-foot (9m) waterfall, a man-made quarry pool and an open-plan layout, allowing for free-flowing movement that encourages a continuous experience with the home's natural setting.
Today, the property, which includes a studio and a 75-acre (30.4ha) woodland garden, is open to the public. It’s one of only a handful of 20th-century modern homes accessible to the public in New York State.
It is also a National Historic Landmark, an Affiliate Site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a World Monuments Watch Site, ensuring its future protection.
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