From Gizmag’s Adam Williams: “The most appealing homes don’t have to be the most expensive or imposing. We’re reminded of this yet again by Pump House – a basic but idyllic weekend retreat designed by Australian firm Branch Studio Architects (BSA). It was built with a modest budget, and boasts the advantage of operating off-the-grid.”

Completed in May of this year, the structure is clean and unfussy. Materials are basic: plywood, corrugated metal sheeting. Solar panels power the lights and a wood-burning stove provides heat.

Imagine something like this on a piece of land you own in the local mountains. Or in your big back yard, to use as your office, art studio, playroom or guest suite. The design is simple…

But the options are endless. There are lots more photos, head here.

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From the architect: “The house is located in an area with an intricate topography… The dramatic slope is understood from a resignation to the inevitable need to build livable floorplans.”

Sound familiar? Given that so many of our local residences are built on hillsides or in canyons, it seems that this home in Tunquén, Chile would be a great fit right here SoCal.

From the ArchDaily: “The house is designed as a lightweight volume, entirely in pine wood, set on a concrete base that links to the rockiness of the ground. On the outside, it has worked as a continuous black shell that has been cut and detached from the cover and from the ground, to bring up the openings of the windows.”

“By contrast, the interiors are continuous and neutral. White grout on the walls and ceiling serves to preserve until dusk the natural light in the inside, and to reveal the variety of colors of the environment.”

“There is  a generously sized room for parents, and two smaller for the children. A large common space, that includes the living room, the dinning room and the kitchen, works as an articulator of the three ‘arms’ of the house.”

The full story on this great house, with lots more photos, can be found on the ArchDaily. Click here.

Plans and construction courtesy of Branko Pavlovic, Pablo Lobos-Pedrals and Rubén Marchant. Photos by of Felipe Fontecilla.

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This home in San José del Rincón, Santa Fe, Argentina would be a great fit for Southern California. The single-level floor plan and integration of indoors-to-out strike us as being quintessentially LA.

Says the Arch Daily: “The house is designed as a series of sequences and promenades that are in permanent flow between the interior and exterior, intentionally created from the layout of the spaces, their design, the system of openings, and the importance of the interior courtyard due to its position as the true heart of the project.”

Photos courtesy of Federico Cairoli, blueprints by Estudio Puyol / Meinardy, Architects.

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From our friends at the ArchDaily: This Tokyo, Japan residence makes the most of its small footprint. Distinctly urban, it’s a design we think would work quite well in many parts of the LA region.

The architects are Kozo Yamamoto and Assoc., who opted for high placement of windows on this home, allowing for plenty of light while still giving privacy from neighbors that are close by.

The floor plan illustrates that wonderful things can be created in small spaces. A great way to live.

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Occasionally we’ll post houses that inspire us, either from our local neighborhoods or from around the world. These are the residences that make us love our work all the more, and remind us that connecting our clients to their ideal living environment is what real estate is all about.

This simple, clean-lined modern in Curicó, VII Región del Maule, Chile was designed by Alex Plana. Courtesy of the Arch Daily, with more photos here.

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