FINAL CALL
Back to the Future
An other-worldly accommodation pod lands in South West England, transporting guests to another time.
Is it a plane? Is it a submarine? Is it a spaceship?
sleek forms of the furniture and lighting are
No, this elliptical pod with porthole windows
accompanied by bursts of colour, as seen in the
and an eye-catching fibreglass shell is in fact an
reclining chairs upholstered in vibrant mustard.
accommodation cabin, where guests can spend
Despite the popularity of Futuro House, fewer
the night inside an iconic piece of avant-garde
than 100 were actually produced and now only
architecture. Nestled in the wilds of Marston
a handful remain. This model was rescued from
Park in Somerset, Futuro House was originally
ruin by artist Craig Barnes, who transported it
designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen
from South Africa to the UK, where he has spent
back in 1968. It builds on the traditions of Nordic
the last decade restoring it to its original glory.
summer camps, with a modular construction
“The Futuro encapsulates the zeitgeist of late
that makes for easy transportation to remote
Sixties design, architecture, interiors, culture
locations, and a robust form able to withstand
and lifestyle in one object,” he explains. “It was
harsh winters.
a beacon of belief in there being better ways to be,
Entered via a spaceship-like hatch, the cabin
at a time when optimism was in more plentiful
features a flexible living space – complete with
supply. Now more than ever, we need talismanic
kitchenette and two curtained-off sleeping
artefacts to teach us not just of the failings of the
areas – decorated to honour the 1960s obsession
past, but to imbue us with a sense of possibility
with all things Space Age. The fluid shapes and
for the future.”
© Chris Wakefield
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