Incredible fairytale homes that people can actually live in

“What are you doing in my swamp?” Shrek may ask. Well, a few lucky guests will have an easy answer very soon – Donkey invited them! This Halloween, Donkey is ‘swamp-sitting’ for his best friend, and for two nights only he’s inviting people from far and wide to hunker down with him. The much-loved, moss-covered dwelling from one of our favourite animated films has been brought to life on the grounds of a secluded estate in the Scottish Highlands. Click or scroll to tour Shrek’s home and find out more about this ogre-ific stay…

It may look too perfect to be real but this remarkable structure has been created by DreamWorks in partnership with Airbnb. Shrek’s iconic home has been recreated to an incredibly high standard inside and out, complete with ‘earwax’ candles, a cosy fireplace and Shrek’s comfy green recliner. If the pictures aren’t enough to sell you on the stay, maybe a ringing endorsement from Donkey will be. “Shrek’s Swamp is lovely. Just beautiful. The perfect place to entertain guests,” Shrek’s four-legged friend gushed about the stay.

For all the painstaking attention to detail, Shrek’s home is as rustic and rudimentary as you may remember from the films. The house has only one room, which includes the bed, lounge chair, and dining table in front of the fireplace, rendering it suitable for up to three guests, according to the listing.

More rustic still, the home doesn’t include bathroom facilities – although you will have access to Shrek’s swamp-chic outhouse. However, before you start to panic, you’ll be relieved to learn that slightly more modern facilities will be available off-site, approximately 20 metres from the house.

If the home’s rough-and-ready appearance and the ‘BEWARE’ signs out front haven’t scared you away, you might be wondering how to book this Shrek-tastic experience. Booking will open on Friday, October 13, at 6pm BST. The entire stay is free of charge, but guests will be responsible for their own transport to and from Scotland. The home is available to rent between October 27-29, a two-night stay which includes breakfast in the morning – you guessed it, Donkey’s making waffles!

Even sweeter, Airbnb will make a one-time donation to HopScotch Children’s Charity, an organisation which provides disadvantaged children in Scotland with respite breaks through nurturing and dynamic holiday trips, according to the listing. 

Donkey is very excited about welcoming his potential guests: “You know what I like about it? Everything. The overgrown landscaping, the modest interiors, the nice boulders, all of it. I can’t wait for guests to experience this muddy slice of paradise for themselves.” So, set your alarms for the 13th and get ready to head to the swamp.

Swamps not your thing? Explore more fairytale homes people actually live in….

Enchanted castles and towers worthy of Rapunzel are usually the stuff of childhood daydreams, but these incredible properties are far closer to reality than you might think. Plucked from the pages of our favourite fairytales and children’s storybooks, we’ve rounded up the most enchanting real-life homes that people actually live in. Click or scroll on and let’s journey to a kingdom not too far, far away…

For nature-lovers looking to escape the hustle and bustle, it doesn’t get much more magical than this unique cob cottage, hidden inside a dense forest in Canada. Available to rent, this charming home has no end of kerb appeal with its curved walls and quirky windows. 

This has to qualify as one of the world’s weirdest properties! The Boot bed and breakfast in Tasman, New Zealand, is now a hugely popular fairytale escape for those coming from far and wide. 

Available to rent out via Airbnb, The Boot is nestled amongst hazelnut trees, offering visitors plenty of privacy. Sheltered beneath the canopy is this picturesque courtyard, featuring an alfresco dining area and a large outdoor fireplace, perfect for toasting marshmallows in the colder months.

Aptly named The Mushroom House, this one-of-a-kind property lies in Bardineto, Italy, in what locals call the “Village of the Smurfs”. Nestled on 64,583 square feet of land, surrounded by soaring trees, the quirky home is worth buying, if only for its garden!

The magical tiny house measures just 279 square feet and features a bulbous exterior form with pretty shuttered windows and two mushroom-like roofs. Inside, it comes complete with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, two bathrooms and a home office. 

As for interior design, the property is overflowing with fairytale magic. From exposed beamed ceilings, to rustic fireplaces, dainty windows and a characterful staircase, there’s something interesting to see in every room.

The wonderful round house also boasts autonomous heating, meaning there are absolutely no running costs! That makes this pretty storybook home eco-friendly as well as unique. Though it’s now off the market, the adorable home was recently for sale with The Vendocasa Group for a mere €109,000, that’s only £94,800 ($118k).

Encircled by a dense forest, this magnificent mansion is Cinderella’s castle, à la Disneyland, to a T. Offering 10,000 square feet of accommodation, the dramatic façade features impressive Gothic windows, mock-Tudor detailing and no end of turrets.

Available to rent, the extravagant home doesn’t offer style over substance either. The state-of-the-art kitchen is home to an array of luxury appliances and a grand double range cooker, providing everything you need to cook up a storm, while characterful details like the coffered ceiling and carved cooker hood keep the whimsical charm alive. 

With seven luxurious suites situated across the home’s numerous levels, there’s plenty of choices when it comes to finding a plush spot to lay your head. Personally, we’d opt for this opulent room with a four-poster bed complete with carved wooden posts, surely an essential when you live in a fairytale castle.

While it may be on the smaller side, the woodland retreat, which was once offered as a holiday let and now a filming location, is no less enchanting. Known as Robin Hood’s Hideout, this remarkable home in Dripping Springs, just west of Austin, offers a fantastical break from everyday life. 

The rustic, wood-clad interior is brimming with character, from the bright pops of blue across the weathered woodwork to the beautiful stained glass windows. Crafted from reclaimed wood and fixtures from around 30 different structures, it has to be the ultimate upcycled tiny home. 

Available to rent out, the tower offers two plush bedrooms fit for royalty, one decked out in pastel blue and the other in blush pink. The master features a hearth and this gorgeous window seat, the ideal spot to get lost in a good book or admire the breathtaking rural vistas.

On the same site as Robin Hood’s Hideaway, lurking in the woods in Hays County, Texas, this unusual Gothic-style tiny home would give us the heebie-jeebies if we stumbled upon it on dark night. With its eerie weathered door, lattice windows and red and black detailing, it’s a dwelling worthy of a fairytale villain.

Available as a filming location and impeccably crafted, the Victoriana theme extends inside, black damask motifs adorn the shiplap walls, while period portraits, old-fashioned sconce candle holders and a black antique-style piano add a historic feel to the living areas.

Opposite the front door, red swagged curtains make a theatrical statement and Louis XV-style sofas evoke a certain air of faded opulence. The period-inspired home is a treasure trove of the past, with curated antiques and hidden foxes scattered around. The property even includes a snug bathroom on the ground floor, complete with a traditional claw-foot tub.

Upstairs tucked away in the eaves is a pocket-sized, but no less imposing, double bedroom. Decked out in the home’s signature red and black, a stained glass window draws light into the low space, while touches like the antique bedside table and miniature Persian-style rug carry the Gothic aesthetic through.

Built in 1917 on seven acres of land, this magnificent castle was inspired by a trip that its prosperous original owners, the Ellington family, took to England. Complete with a turret and regal interior décor, it’s the perfect place to live out your own royal fantasy.

Upstairs, each of the three bedrooms has its own historic theme, including this Romeo and Juliet room with a red colour scheme, faux canopy and a romantic balcony, naturally!

The sensitively restored kitchen has been modernised to include everything you need to cook up a feast. Large picture windows overlook the castle’s immaculate grounds, which house a fountain, gazebo, pond and pergola. Fancy playing royalty for a weekend? You can rent the castle here.

The Pod House, sometimes called The Mushroom House (clearly a popular name) is a unique home which takes inspiration from the flowers of a Queen Anne’s Lace plant. It was constructed between 1969 and 1972 for attorney-artist couple Robert and Marguerite Antell and was designated a town landmark in 1989. 

The house is made up of four 80-ton pods, which sit on reinforced concrete pillars of between 14 and 20 feet in height. The clever design means that the view will never be restricted as each pod features panoramic windows. Available to rent for $5,500 a month(£4,422) it’s sure to be one of the most unique places you’ll stay.

Amongst the world’s most famous houses, each pod in the property serves a different function. One is the kitchen and family room, another acts as the living and dining area, and two are sleeping areas. There’s also a half-pod with an open deck for the warmer months. 

This pod was once the main entrance to the original home, but is now the kitchen. It opens out into the family room, complete with a spectacular tree-like plaster centrepiece and a gas fireplace, demonstrating how each zone flows seamlessly into the next. Where do we sign that rental agreement?

This incredible and rare home is positioned in the city of Charlevoix, Michigan. Constructed in the 1950s, the storybook residence was designed by iconic American architecture, Earl Young, who grew up in Charlevoix. During his career, he designed and built 21 properties in the city, and this one might just be his most impressive.

Just one block from Lake Michigan beach, the unique property is nicknamed The Mushroom House and features an undulating cedar shingle roof, Onaway stone walls and pretty leaded windows that Young sourced from a Polish castle.

Inside, the 2,085-square-foot residence is just as amazing, with a living room, kitchen, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Every room includes plenty of distinctive design details, from eye-catching fireplaces to beamed ceilings, hand-painted murals and even real climbing ivy.  

This incredible vintage bathroom is like a time capsule, with rough stone walls, a sloping timber ceiling, a built-in tub platform and even a shag pile carpet. The dressing table would also have been the perfect spot for any 1950s film star to get ready. Last listed with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices for £1.2 million ($1.4m), this remarkable home was quickly snapped up by some lucky buyer! 

Living in a gingerbread house is the stuff of childhood dreams, but this spellbinding property could make those fantasies come true. While this house in California is not exactly made from gingerbread (which is the dream, let’s face it), it definitely looks the part, and what’s more, it’s available to rent out for holidays.

Located in Geyserville, California, the house sleeps up to three people, with a cosy double bed downstairs and an extra loft room situated in the roof. The property is adorned with decorative stained glass windows that cleverly feature LED lights for illumination after dark.

Made from cob, an eco-friendly building material, this unique holiday home was sculpted by Miguel Elliott of Living Earth Structures. While snug, the sleeping space in the eaves, complete with reed-lined walls and a glazed gable window, is one of our favourite aspects of the home. Imagine waking up each morning to the sun rising across the treetops!

Outside, there’s a somewhat au naturel approach to creature comforts. Encircled by bamboo privacy screening, the outdoor shower offers visitors the chance to step out of their comfort zone. Would you be brave enough to bathe beneath the trees?

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