Keeping an eco-friendly home can be scary. Tree-killing toilet paper, toxic mold and energy-guzzling kitchen appliances are enough to keep any sane homeowner or renter up tossing and turning at night. 

 

Trendir is my go-to spot for modern home design escapism/zone-out therapy when I'm overwhelmed by all the eco-neurotic voices chattering in my head. Trendir doesn’t exclusively showcase green homes (like this London manse that seriously made me salivate) and eco-friendly interior design items, but there is a dedicated green section that's been quite wind turbine-heavy as of late.

 

Two unusual prefabricated homes featured recently on Trendir: Amalia House, a really green vacation home in Austria that’s covered with Astroturf, and Chameleon House, a striking home overlooking Lake Michigan that’s "clad in galvanized metal and wrapped in a skirting wall of recycled translucent polyethelene slats."

 

I’m not aware of the energy particulars of the homes, and I doubt the production of artificial grass is eco-safe, but that’s not really the point. They look intriguing (some might say out-there or even ugly) and some aspect of sustainability (like prefabrication) has been incorporated into their design. So sit back, relax and imagine (with the help of these visual aids) what it would be like to live in an Astroturf covered retreat in the hills of Austria or a home that changes colors with the seasons …

Amalia House by Grid Architects (Vienna/Luxembourg) 

 Via [Trendir]