Just 50 minutes from Melbourne, this elegantly simple house feels a world away from city life. The compact off-grid home is designed for a simpler style of living. Branch Studio Architects originally designed the Pump House to give the clients space for storing a water pump and other equipment needed to maintain their farmland property, but the compact shed also doubles as a quiet lakeside retreat. The floorplan is simple, but spacious. The kitchen wraps around the walls of the bathroom, creating a central services core that separates living and sleeping zones. The wood stove heats the small house. The interior is entirely paneled with plywood, with glass walls in the front and back. From the living area, the owners can view their horse, grazing in the paddock right outside. In addition to sliding glass doors, the living room has a horizontal window cut out of the plywood, offering tree-house-like views of the surrounding greenery.
