We all have that hairy-toed hobbit inside of us whose always wanted to live in the Shire.  The home manufacturer Japan Dome House Co., Ltd. is all about Middle Earth and they want to make those halfling fantasies come true.  These igloo-shaped structures are built from snap-together wall sections made of 100% Styrofoam.  No termites, no rust, no toxic fumes in the event of a fire.

Hobbits from all around Middle Earth will come flocking to your door step to relax in your dome bathhouse as they puff on their pipe-weed and run up your phone bill with that Hobbit phone of yours.  Dome House kits start at around $30,000 which excludes the cost of delivery, assembly and interior construction. I wonder if Peter Jackson will give up his Hollywood home in favor of his very own Bilbo Baggins bachelor pad.

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When you’re carrying a ton of groceries, you just don’t have that extra hand to twist the knob to gain access to your house. Well, door knobs are a thing of the past. No Design’s Sao Paulo was obviously tired of the run-of-the-mill front doors found on every house so he designed the Max Door. Simply put, it’s a door with no door knob. What’s unique and special about it is a few of its perks:

It can be opened via remote-control device, much like your car or garage. It’s even got a mailbox built-in to the door, eliminating morning walks to fetch your paper like a dog. And to top it all off, it has retractable guillotine at the base for sound insulation. We’re hoping that it can be used for decapitating trespassers, but no word on if and when this door will be commercial.

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Your house plants are withering. You have two options: put them out in the sun or build a gigantic robotic arm that takes up half of your living space. Lively plants at the cost of sleeping in the bathtub doesn’t sound too bad either.

The Bartlett School of Architecture showcased their “Experiments in Time” exhibit, which included this steel monstrosity strapped with an Arduino Lilypad controller to tilt a disc into sunlight.  Seriously, all you have to do is pick your house plants up, walk outside and place them down on the ground. You’ll be set, they’ll be healthy and you get to spend the night in your bed without sharing rent with a robotic arm.

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Editor’s Note: SEATTLE!!

Fancy the electronic duo  Justice? Why not wear tight black pants along with a leather jacket that just screams, “I swallow!” Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay of Justice have teamed up with French label Surface to Air of Paris to create their own limited edition clothing line, complete with a leather wallet. The line is supposed to reflect their hard “rock and roll” image.

Biker bars or gay bars, no matter where you go everyone will know you listen to music with no lyrics. Who needs lyrics anyways? When you got hot beats and cool sounds, no one is paying any attention to the words.

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What a piece of shit. Remember that pig fucker who traded a small red paper clip for a house and blogged about the entire process? Well now he’s selling the house or trading it for something really good. Looking for a house in Canada? You have until July 11th to buy it or trade something for it.

The worst part about all this is that apparently, the house is a tourist attraction. Therefore it becomes your job to constantly invite people into your home for no profit. Sounds like a dream come true.

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Victor Vetterlein has designed a vision of what conceptual homes of the future will look like. I am easily reminded of the bizarre looking “arcologies” you could build in SimCity 2000. Dubbed “Reboot,” the futuristic living-space is supposed to be a self-sufficient and environment friendly take on everyday living.

Everything about its interior is digitally controlled and designed to be operated by voice activated sensors, touch pad and remote controls a la mobile phone or computer. Anyone old enough to read this will probably never live to see a house like this in which they could afford, but one can dream.

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I love dogs just as much as the next guy. Maybe even more so. But this is just getting a tad bit ridiculous. The Doggy Dream Homes provide your pup with comparatively more space than you probably have in your own home.

The Dream Homes are made using the same materials used to construct your home (and superior materials if you happen to live in a cardboard box like myself.) Complete with add-on features such as an outdoor hot tub and satellite or cable television, your dog will be living the high life. It’s to the point where you’d rather live in the dog house. That’s what we’re talking here. (more…)

There was a time where people who resided in boxes or old shipping containers were known as hobos or murder victims (and perhaps both). The Illy Push Button House is an entire living quarter built inside of an old cargo shipping container.

Press a button and 90 seconds later your home is revealed, folded out from the container. Even more interesting, everything in the home is made from recycled materials. Such a house could be made to great use for disaster release, or of course for those damn hobo’s to modernize their living space. — Andrew Dobrow

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Who says reading in bed is the privilege of those who got sick? With these reading stands, we can read in bed anytime we want, in any position and under any background lighting condition. These stands range from $60 to $190, the smallest one you can bring to the beach, the biggest one you can hang your laptop up there. Yes please. –Sam Chan

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Why does it have to be so much pain to clean the floor? It doesn’t. Why do kids have to make the house dirty? Well, they don’t. The above picture is pretty much self-explanatory. Have all your guests put on these pairs of slippers and you will save hours of cleaning. If you want to mop the floor, simply get these slippers wet and the rest is history. Warm toes and clean floors this winter, why not? $10 per pair in Japan. — Sam Chan

Slippers story [Impress]