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I love when I get tips to check out unusual architecture and designs. This time, I owe credit to Home Owner Nut Iris, who tipped me off on the ultimate of Haute couture house exteriors designed for — who else? – the Elvis of Haute couture, Pierre Cardin. If you’re ever on your way to Cannes (of course), drop in for a gander at the Palais Bulles. The Bubble Palace was completed in the town of Théoule-sur-Mer with its astounding Mediterranean views in 1989. It’s been the mecca for Cardin pilgrims ever since.

Beam me down

Photo by Palais Bulles

Seen through a porthole of an adjoining room, the palais house exteriors seem an invention of a 1950s Sci-Fi movie colorist. You’ve got to visit the Palais Bulles home page and wander around…virtually.

Bubble dress architecture

Photo by Dornob

And why wouldn’t the couterier to the stars who first designed the 1950’s bubble dress want anything less than fizzy pop for these interiors? It’s a pretty dreamy bedroom, don’t you think? Dornob has a good selection of Bubble Palace photos.

Room for all your trendy companions

Photo by Izismile

I found this room with a view at Izismile. The Bubble Palace has 28 round bedrooms, all cushioned by wall-to-wall fluff and lights that change the mood of the room as the world turns. The villa overlooks a 500-seat cliffside amphitheater that leans out over the Mediterranean.

Passage to plush

Photo by Izismile

The creator of Maxim’s loved circular shapes. The hallway resembles a passageway for the visionary race of Krel from Forbidden Planet.

Looking for your next place to “take a meeting”? Try this dandy of a room at the Palais.

Photo by Beautiful Life

Woozy yet?

Green architecture doesn’t have to cancel out traditional community designs or striking good looks. EcoHome magazine’s second annual design awards announced this week went to breath-taking examples that mixed innovation with traditional appeal. I like to poke fun at platitudes. But it’s tough to play the comedy card when home designers create such exquisite homes that advance our culture. Here are four of the winners:

Architecture that looks great and acts green

Photo by EcoHome Magazine

Samsel Architects of Asheville, N.C., came up with the designs for the Celo Residence, a 1,538-square-foot home that captured an EcoHome Grand Award for its sustainable 3,750-gallon rainwater catchment cistern, low-flow toilet systems, and low-VOC interior paints. Read the details at EcoHome.

There was an old home in Nantucket

Photo by Inman News

Take one 264-year-old home on Nantucket Island, restore it to the charm of its original architecture, add a kitchen and bath – and do it all while meeting LEED insulation and air sealing requirements. Kudos (and a Grand Award) to Rosenberg Kolb Architects of New York City. Read more about the winners at Yahoo.

Aloha by Design

Photo by EcoHome Magazine

The trick was to build the 45 subsidized homes of the Kumuhau Subdivision on Oahu using solar power and rainwater drip irrigation, earning  LEED-Gold certification. Praise for architects Armstrong Development of Honolulu. Inman News offers a comprehensive write up on these homes that reflect traditional plantation architecture, honoring nature.

Going, going, green

Photo by EcoHome Magazine

The award-winning GO Home in Belfast, Maine, is only the 12^th home in the nation to earn the “Passive House” designation, and EcoHome predicts its solar, south-facing orientation will recover $170,000 in energy costs over three decades of use. The house, designed by architects at GO Logic Homes of Belfast, has a pending LEED-Platinum certification.

Bravo!