It’s what you’d call a rock solid investment: Spanish holiday home created inside a giant man-made boulder (with the help of a cow, naturally!)

It boasts uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean, chic, minimalist-style interiors and all the peace and quiet you could ever wish for, but was it worth it?

The unusual Spanish holiday home, affectionately dubbed The Truffle, took more than a year to construct and even required the services of one very hungry cow.

The brainchild of experimental architects Ricardo Sanz and Javier Cuesta, the property was created by casting a hole in the ground before pouring cement over hay bales set within the perimeter. Once the concrete had set it was hoisted out and sliced open to reveal
the hay bales inside. Seems like rather a lot of hard work to us...

It was while the architects were contemplating the problem of clearing the hay bales from inside the boulder that someone had a eureka moment and engaged the services of Paulina the cow. Faced with a seemingly endless supply of her favourite food, Paulina set about eating the hay to reveal the structure's interior.

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One year and one very happy - not to mention fat - cow later, The Truffle was beginning to take shape and all that remained was to transform it into a tranquil holiday home complete with stylish interiors.

The architects, from Ensamble Studios, decided to deck the holiday home out in a contemporary scheme, complete with a built-in fireplace and en-suite bathroom.

They describe the property, in Costa da Morte, as a 'piece of nature' and wanted to create a space that camouflages and integrates into the natural environment around it.

Well, we can't comment on how 'camouflaged' the so-called 'boulder' looks, but we can't argue with that view.

It is unknown if Paulina the cow still visits.

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