from giant leaf petals to floating avocados: outstanding designs at airbnb's OMG! category

airbnb’s $10M OMG! fund supports out-of-the-box designs

Airbnb brings the craziest and most striking dwellings to life as part of the brand’s $10,000,000 OMG! Fund. From thousands of entries from around the world, only 100 participants, including designers, architects, DIYers, and makers, have been chosen to realize their outrageous ideas, with their creations ready for accommodation by the summer of 2023.

The initiative is part of the company’s OMG! category, a curated collection of the most unique abodes, which already include a giant potato hotel, a UFO house, and a gothic-style hobbit hole. Recipients will receive $100,000 each to make their imaginary creations possible. Juicy designs inspired by fruits, structures straight out of sci-fi novels, as well as floating buildings are just some of the future accommodations on Airbnb. Besides their bizarre and eccentric ideas, the resulting designs come with sustainable consideration, with more than 7,900 entrants proposing solar panels in their creations. See designboom’s previous coverage here.

Jungle Eco Tree House With a Leaf Petal Shape, by Elisa O., Mexico | all images by Airbnb

the full-width image above: Modern Cereal Lover’s Paradise created by Trey D. in the United States

on the hunt for the craziest accommodation designs by Airbnb

As submissions numbered in the tens of thousands, the OMG! Fund judging panel — including design and style icon Iris Apfel (see more here), architectural expert Koichi Takada (more here), Airbnb Superhost Kristie Wolfe, and Airbnb VP of Experiential Bruce Vaughn — had to narrow them down to 100 winners. The winning ideas stood out for their out-of-the-box design and are planned to be ready for hosting by next August.

The projects vary from weird and whimsical to wacky and absurd. The contestants’ passion is reflected in their outrageous designs — from a lighthouse in Sweden accessible only by boat to an adobe fossilized dinosaur skull in the desert — as well as their titles, such as ‘Hansel and Gretel’s Chocolate House,’ ‘Floating Avocado in an Avocado Farm’, or ‘Dome-House Floating in a Koi Fish Pond’.

‘The inspiration came from the works of many science fiction movies,’ said OMG! Fund recipient Pablo C. from Mexico. ‘The idea was to do something out of the ordinary, never seen before, something rare and beautiful that would impress any human being. The result is an organic form spaceship – a six-meter high pillar, embraced at 360 degrees by trees.’

Giant Flower Pot on a Farm in Idaho created by Whitney H. from the United States

According to the brand’s site, some of the participants drew on local wildlife and tradition. In his Floating Avocado HouseI, Ignacio R. from Chile stated ‘his idea is all about the connection with nature. I have spent most of my life on our family farm – the happiest memories of my childhood come from there. It has something so special that just resonates with me. That’s why I have this dream, this calling, of sharing it with more people.’

Other designs had a sustainable focus that celebrates the site’s amazing landscape bringing visitors closer to the natural world. For example, Kimberly S. from the US regarding her Giant Tire-Shaped House idea, commented as follows: ‘The structure will be fashioned by repurposing 1,000 old junkyard tires and other recycled materials. The effect will be a stunning, unique and unforgettable experience—a creative environmental solution to a deflating tire problem!’