Down at the water’s edge where the sand meets the grasses, down where the tang of salt hangs in the air and waves pound a melody on the shore, down on the edge of day dreams is a beautifully simple beach house. The main building is pared back and casual with everything you need for life on the beach. A place to check the break at sunrise, gather with friends, relax in the sun or the shade, celebrate the end of a great day on the beach all while the relentless waves keep reminding you that this is indeed paradise and just how lucky you are. And when it is time to turn your back on the water and retire for the night, a separate sleeping hut provides the perfect retreat. Dreams are made of this.

Another amazing home by Martín Gómez Arquitectos in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Whether high in the sky in a lavish apartment or down on the ground in the rich surrounds of a modern family home Melbourne based interior designer Christopher Elliott creates a clean lined, contemporary look big on livability and luxury. A fresh masculine style. Monotones are punctuated with accent colours that lift and liven the space while layers of texture add further interest. Beautiful spaces. Liveable spaces. Inspiring modern living.

Rising from the grass, shaded by a stand of trees is a simple beach house celebrating its surroundings and the lifestyle of surf and sand, sun and fun with family and friends. This is simple building within a short walk of the sea but in its simplicity, its pared back state is the essence of casual days, a slower time and pace. Life is a beach after all and the design team at Martín Gómez Arquitectos are no beach bums when it comes to the perfect seaside retreat. Over the next few days I will be sharing more from Martín Gómez. In the seaside town of Punta del Este, Uruguay he has been slowly designing and building a relationship with this beautiful part of the world. A relationship that embraces site and nature, the built environment and natural environment. Each home will be different but always with a common thread. (You can see my previous post on Martín Gómez here.)

Artist David Bromley’s Byron Bay lair no less. Art and soul, living large and outrageously. A series of charcoal coloured cottages and sheds complete with outdoor baths, airstream and rusty truck. And you can buy it. It’s a “steal” at just over $1.5 million AUD. He will be taking his impressive art collection when he goes… except for those daubs on the walls. Imagine having David Bromley originals on your walls… literally on your walls. Fun, quirky and not to everyone’s taste it screams art as a way of life, not a trapping of success. I have been real estate stalking in Byron Bay, New South Wales as part of a week that will be heavy on beach shack beauties. Link here while it lasts.

Oasis (plural: oases) – an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oasis – a retreat from the desert of the city, a place to relax, unwind, take a deep breath and live. Oases (singular: oasis) – these inspiring inner city courtyards and gardens by Sydney based landscape designers Good Manors.