When clients tapped MRTN Architects to design a simple cabin and shed on 300 acres in Victoria, Australia, they were not only seeking a retreat from their busy lives in the city. They also wanted to use the space as a care-taking cottage, where they would get to know the property, as they wanted to build a bigger house on the land in the future.

The team was asked to come up with a design that would "eventually be incorporated into a more permanent home, appear to have weathered with the site, and be of a familiar form when viewed from a distance."

After being inspired from existing agricultural outbuildings in the area, the architects conceived the two new buildings as "rural artifacts."

"Nostalgia for this connection between land and building was the guiding principle for the Nulla Vale House and Shed," the team explains.

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Project Credits:

Architect: MRTN Architects /@antmartarch

Builder: Hardwick Build Co.

Structural Engineer: Deery Consulting

Lighting Design: Light Project

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Simplicity Reigns at This Off-Grid Australian Retreat