Pump House by Branch Studio Architects

It's currently school holidays for many of us kiwis, and this simple, stripped back and relocatable retreat has us dreaming of quieter, less cluttered moments.

The team at Branch Studio Architects in Victoria, Australia originally designed the lakeside getaway to store various pieces of farmland equipment, but the brief morphed over time to become a slightly more extravagant spot for resting, relaxing and watching the world go by, as opposed to a purely functional storage shed!

Such a lovely, subtle use of materials to evoke just the right amount of warmth and character in this idyllic lakeside spot. Follow the link for many more photos and details on the design.

All images via

The Art of Conrad Jon Godly

Successfully blowing my mind this morning are these artworks by Conrad Jon Godly. The simplicity of the concept of these pieces of work is easy to see, but the way they are executed leaves no doubt as to the subject matter. I think most of us in NZ have seen mountains just like these at some point in our lives - just spectacular!

Found via

Shadow Play

We love these remarkable chandelier's from Hilden & Diaz. The chandelier projects a 360° shadow of trees and roots onto the walls surrounding it. This piece is titled 'Forms of Nature'. A little spooky? Or a lot cool!?

Desert Breath - Art Installation in the Sahara Desert

Nature is amazing, and here is an art installation to prove it! There's nothing like digging 

and sculpting in the sand, but this is taking it to the extreme...

'Desert Breath' is located near the Red Sea in El Gouna, Egypt. It is an impossibly immense land art installation dug into the sands of the Sahara desert by the D.A.S.T. Art Team back in 1997. The artwork was a collaborative effort spanning two years between installation artist Danae Stratou, industrial designer Alexandra Stratou, and architect Stella Constantinides, covering an area of about 1 million square feet. Wowee!

Back To Basics

We are loving the little decor details featuring at the Wairarapa campsite of 'Canopy Campsites & Escapes'. These guys have added wonderful homely touches to their on site tented accommodation to make your stay just that little bit more posh then the usual camping experience... such a great idea!

 

All images from Canopy Campsites.