Interview - House of Laughing Windows Wants to Build Your Dream House

Have you ever wanted a house built to perfectly match your personality? A new Instagram account has surfaced promising just that. Providing only a questionnaire exploring 92 facets of morality, choice, religion, and perception, House of Laughing Windows is inviting guests to partake in a Dream House Project. Upon completion of the survey, they will start construction of your dream house (if selected) and then will send you the key in the mail. Is there more to this Spring immersive experience than meets the eye? Well, Haunting was given the opportunity to ask F.G.S. and R.L.W., the enigmatic creative minds behind House of Laughing Windows, a few questions about their project (as well as P.O.L. who weighed in on one question). They couldn’t tell us much, but what they could tell us has us begging for more.

A Strong Foundation

F.G.S. describes House of Laughing Windows as a “collective interested in a simple goal: changing the lives of individuals in a profound way.” Backed by a mysterious, yet generous patron “who claims that charity is the drug that gets her the most high,” F.G.S. and R.L.W. have been granted the resources to “build experiences for people that are seemingly irrational in their scope.” Along with humbling and reliable “friends of the family that aren’t technically members of the team,” the creators are looking forward to sharing their Dream House Project with chosen applicants in the Spring.

The Blueprints

People looking to participate in the Dream House Project first must apply via an extensive email questionnaire that prohibits online searches and will take an afternoon or longer to complete. R.L.W. explains that the participant selection process is not scientific, that “no specific thing will qualify one over another, it will only be when the whole of a personality is compared to the whole of another. The exact number [of selected participants] is fluid.” R.L.W. continues, “all questions (no matter the manner of their inquiry) are meant to solely analyze the personality of the applicant… We are not looking for certain personalities, and there are no qualifying answers that deem an applicant worthy. As long as the applicant is taking the questionnaire seriously, then there is no right or wrong way to approach it.”

Some participants with keen eyes and a mind for ciphers may have noticed some odd nuances to the questionnaire, upping the question count from 92 to possibly over 100. Addressing the rumors that there are hidden questions in the application process, R.L.W. says, “the finding of hidden questions, and their subsequent answers… Certain personalities will search for things like that, and others do not.” F.G.S. chimes in, “perhaps it’s best to just let the cat out of the bag, and remove some aspects of our analysis. Our data in this regard is probably already somewhat distorted.” We apologize for any disruptions we have caused to their scientific process.

Dream House Project

Chosen participants “will have their dream home built for them, built to the specifications of our personality analysis of said participant.” F.G.S. explains, “upon completion of the home, the participant will be given the key to their home. This will be the first time they know the location. The participant will not be involved in any stage of the process of designing or building their home.” The vagueness of the project, F.G.S. says, “isn’t out of a desire to remain ambiguous or mysterious. We would simply be undermining the project as a whole if we were to reveal specifics to the public before the revelation.” While we’d love more information, we also appreciate the mystery and unique opportunity to participate in a uniquely personalized experience for interested participants.

Behind the Facade

F.G.S. elaborates on the future elements of the Dream House Project which will follow the questionnaire: “We hope to set up a toll-free phone line in the next couple weeks, so that those interested can speak with a company representative that can answer any questions that they have 24/7.” While it’s unclear what mysteries will be hidden behind this corporate calling center, they do reveal that they “recently hired a team of phone jockeys to do this work, and it is just a matter of training them to be ready for the demanding amount of information required to aptly represent the company.”

Congratulations, New Homeowners

“We hope that,” F.G.S. says, “upon first seeing their new home, participants will feel unrivaled emotional intensity.” We probe, asking what they want guests to feel or walk away with. P.O.L. answers that last question: they wish guests walk away with “a new home built to their unique personality.” Seems pretty straightforward, right? Like their questionnaire, I doubt anything is hidden beneath the surface. Spoiler: I’m betting there definitely is.

Even though House of Laughing Windows is not able to tell us many specifics, the Dream House Project definitely seems like an interesting and detailed endeavor, and we can’t wait to hear more.