Meet the Happiest House in the World (Not in the Way You Think)

A house that looks alive and jolly is not only possible in cartoons. This fanciful one-of-a-kind architectural piece was built in Braunschweig (or Brunswick), Germany at the beginning of the millennium. The main culprit for the Rizzihaus was the Brooklyn pop-artist James Rizzi, famous for his characteristic chromatic pop-art genius.

Depending on where you stand, it looks like the Happy Rizzi House is laughing at you with a huge grin and ridicule, smiling with pure joy or even sending flirtatious kisses your way. The project started in 2001, much to the joy of the kids in the neighborhood, and not so to its senior citizens, who objected the sharp contrast of the building to the nearby business area and old European architecture.

Based on Rizzi’s design idea, the house was brought to life by the architect Konrad Kloster. It took two years to complete it and, although it served as business premises at the start, no one occupies the space now. Sadly, Rizzi’s premature death in 2011 prevented expanding the project across the city and the Happy Rizzi House is now only a tourist attraction.