Meet the Indian recipients of Airbnb’s $10M USD OMG! Fund

From tens of thousands of entries from around the world, 100 aspiring designers, architects, DIYers and makers hailing from more than 20 countries/regions have been chosen to bring their crazy space ideas to life as part of the $10,000,000 OMG! Fund.

The winning ideas stood out for their unique and inspiring design, sustainable consideration, and novel ways of offering immersive guest experiences. Recipients will each receive up to $100,000 USD to make their fantastical creations possible, and over the course of the next ten months, will design, construct and outfit their spaces to be guest-ready by summer 2023 – when you may find them available as part of Airbnb’s OMG! Category.

Selected by the OMG! Fund judging panel, including design and style icon Iris Apfel, architectural expert Koichi Takada, Airbnb Superhost Kristie Wolfe, and Airbnb VP of Experiential Bruce Vaughn, these elaborate ideas are expected to make the OMG! Category of homes 100 times more extraordinary once they’re made bookable on the platform.

From a sprout house farm stay in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, a mischievous mango mansion near Madurai in Tamil Nadu, to a sustainable and habitable giant molar tooth, the successful India applicants expand the idea of what an Airbnb stay can be.

The OMG! Fund recipients have an opportunity to experience the powerful economic benefits of Hosting on Airbnb – and many are already familiar, as over 50 percent are already Hosts. In India, in the past two years alone, from 2019 to 2021, nights booked at unique properties have increased by over 30 percent. With more guests booking unique stays, Hosts are also earning real income, with unique listings collectively earning nearly INR 250 million in India just in 2021.

The tens of thousands of entries drew inspiration from the depths of the sea to sci-fi novels, but certain natural elements and architectural features proved popular:

• 400 ideas offered spectacular stargazing experiences 
• 961 ideas marched to the beat of their own drum, incorporating music in some way
• 777 juicy designs were inspired by fruit 
• 680 ideas were wine-inspired 
• 7,931 entrants proposed using solar panels for sustainable energy
• High in the sky, 1,214 ideas involved treehouses and 389 featured suspended structures 
• 509 mushroom-inspired listings were ready to sprout from the earth

Meet the five Indian OMG! recipients who made it to the top 100 list:

Himalayan Fruit Shaped Bedrooms created by Arun M.

Imagine staying in a Kafal (Myrica esculenta) shaped bedroom located at a height of 6900 ft from sea level, in a quaint little village called Makkumath in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. 

This home will have a ‘bunch’ of Kafal shaped valley view rooms, joined by a leaf solar bridge on top. Each room will be painted in a unique shade from green to dark maroon, to represent the varying shades of the local fruit. The rooms will have mud flooring, reflecting the local tradition to maintain natural cooling. All the bedrooms will come with a verandah that will merge into the endless views of the nearby forest. 

Talking about the inspiration for this idea, OMG! Fund recipient Arun said, “The idea of this space is to give a tribute to the mysterious and sustainable life and culture of the Himalayas. I have really fond childhood memories of visiting our family home in Uttarakhand, and eating Kafal fruit during the summers. This project for me is a way to rebuild that childhood home. It would be a home to all those who yearn to return to the lap of nature.”

Sustainable and Habitable Giant Molar Tooth created by Pewly D.

Located in a small forest in the heart of Tripura, this Molar residence will look like a real tooth. Designed with organic shapes, and locally sourced sustainable materials, it will feel as if you’re living within a carved tooth.

“I’m a nature inspired architect and children’s book author, who’s always aspired to bridge the gap between architecture in fantasy worlds and real life. My proposed project is a sustainable and habitable giant molar tooth, located in a private woodland in Northeast India. It was first conceptualized in a fantasy book I authored about teeth dwelling beings and I’m excited about turning this idea into an actual living space for Airbnb guests,” said Pewly. 

Sprout House Farm Stay created by Milind S.

The Sprout House will be an organic living experience that goes beyond just providing a good stay and food. It is about embracing the basics – going back to the roots, to grow and thrive in the lap of nature. The Sprout House will be built at the banks of Krishna river, next to a thriving biodiversity spot of Maharashtra, located at a drivable distance from Pune. At the Sprout House, guests will wake up every day to the wonderful sights and sounds of nature and enjoy a peaceful getaway. The organic stay is quite fittingly inspired by sprout – in both its spirit and shape. 

Milind S, the brainchild behind the Sprout House Farm Stay said, “Sprout House is more than just a place to stay and eat. It’s about living in nature and getting back to the basics. The goal is to get more farmers to use organic farming methods, consider operating a farm-stay as one of their other consistent revenue streams, and get more people to live an organic lifestyle.”

Mischievous Mango Mansion created by Rajan E.

The mango mansion will be located in the southern part of India in Natham near Madurai Tamil Nadu. The mansion will be surrounded by beautiful mango trees consisting of various mango types native to India. The mango mansion will be unique with its mango shaped mansion from top view and front view illustrating the different mango size and shapes for style.

Invisible Farmhouse at a Mango Orchard created by Ankur A.

How about staying at an ‘Invisible’ farmhouse with fields on one side and an orchard on the other, located in an ancestral farm in Gabhana, Aligarh, close to Delhi. The idea is to cover the external walls of the house with seamless reflective glass and metal to reflect the branches, leaves, and the sky and therefore completely camouflage the presence of the house.

“The inspiration for the idea came after visiting my friend’s family in Gabhana, Aligarh, who have been remarkable custodians of these Mango orchards for generations. The invisible house will be a place that encourages reconciling with nature by completely dissolving within the orchard. This is a design for people who like to escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life”,  said Ankur.

Here is the full list of the 100 OMG! Fund recipients:

Interested in becoming an OMG! Host? Learn more at airbnb.com/host/homes.