Homes for ‘The Hobbit’ – The Shire

“In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”

-The Hobbit, Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

It’s hard to believe but its been nearly 9 years since we last saw the lovable little hobbits, wise wizards and stoic elves of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in theaters. With a worldwide box office take of almost $3 billion for the three films, there are more than a few “Ringers” (Lord of the Rings super fans) eagerly anticipating the December 14th release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”.

Courtesy of Fan Pop

Part of the magic of the Lord of the Rings films can be credited to how magical and beautiful the Director made “Middle-Earth” look. Besides the lush green fields and mountains, some of the homes and villages were very, very awesome. So to commemorate the soon to start “The Hobbit” trilogy, we’ll dedicate our own series of blog posts looking at some of the homes you’ll see featured in the movies. To start, let’s head over to a tight-knit community where their homes literally have deep roots.

The Shire is an area almost exclusively inhabited by Hobbits. You’ll remember Hobbits as being the really little guys with big feet (Frodo and Samwise Gangee were hobbits). The pace of life that Hobbits enjoy there is as slow and as peaceful as one would expect life in the country to be. As an avid consumer of breakfasts, I personally love how Hobbits find it important to have “second breakfast” as often as possible.

Courtesy of: LOTR Wikia

To the uninitiated, the Shire was modeled after the small villages of the Mid-Western part of the English countryside. Surrounded by lush vegetation and rolling hills, Hobbits of the Shire tend to live in a hole in the ground. No, really, a hole in the ground…and they’re lovely. These underground homes are environmentally friendly, cool and extremely roomy as well. Although Hobbits are said to grow to be no more than 4 feet tall, their underground bungalows surprisingly fit much larger visitors quite comfortably, like Gandalf the Great.

The main Hobbit home we see in the original LOTR movies and in “The Hobbit”, is ‘Bag End’ – the home of Bilbo Baggins. The spacious property features an inviting circular green door, a ton of rooms with eye-catching round windows, solid wood decor throughout and a charming garden out back. Judging by their height (or lack of it), I’m guessing Hobbits hate stairs. So like most homes in the Shire; Bag End was a ranch that came with all the amenities a reasonable middle-earthling would want; including unobstructed views of the garden and meadows that lead down to a pond. Take a look below at some more pictures of Bag End and the Shire! Would you mind living there?

Front doors set the tone and say a lot, and this circular green one says, “duck” and “warm/cozy”.

Courtesy of Whodesigntoday

The hallway at ‘Bag End’…truly a view anyone wouldn’t mind having.

Courtesy of Wall Paper Well

Every home needs a floor plan. Look at how spacious Bilbo’s home is!

Courtesy of BioBreak

There’s plenty of space in the dining room at ‘Bag End’ for entertaining interesting company with huge appetites.

Courtesy of The Hobbit

Lovely original woodwork is a consistent theme at ‘Bag End’. On another note, looks like Bilbo’s guests are impatiently waiting for food. He should hurry.

Courtesy of The Hobbit

The rustic feel of the home’s decor makes it feel extra cozy and Hobbity.

Peter Jackson and Bilbo going over lines in the dining room

What do you think of the Shire? Does it seem like the kind of neighborhood you’d want to call home? Let us know what you think.

Senior Manager, Content & Multimedia at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. In his role he manages content strategy and execution across several platforms. He’s held other roles within the Marketing Department ranging from Previews & Product Development to the day to day management of the coldwellbanker.com redesign. Besides being a marketer, Gustavo is a filmmaker, musician and writer.

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4 Comments

  1. Homes for ‘The Hobbit’ – Rivendell | Coldwell Banker Blue Matter
    October 7, 2012

    […] we kicked off our series of posts looking at homes from “The Hobbit” with a peak at the Shire – a laid back, cozy and friendly village settled by Hobbits. With evil dark lords,  Orcs […]

    Reply
  2. In Case you Missed It - Homes for Hobbits and Elves | Coldwell Banker Blue Matter
    December 13, 2012

    […] Homes for ‘The Hobbit’ – The Shire “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a Hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” (Read More) […]

    Reply
  3. Viv R
    December 20, 2012

    I would find living in a hobbit hole to be paradise.

    Reply
  4. s g
    March 4, 2015

    Yes, I want to be a part of making this a reality, a small villiage based on agriculture, crafts, livestock, and ecotourism.. inspired and modeled in the fashion of bagend

    Reply

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