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Most of the color in the primary suite comes from the greenery right outside.

Ana Smud’s studio is in downtown Buenos Aires, yet she also has a home office with built-in bookshelves and a long narrow desk.

The kitchen cabinets are made of incienso wood, and the countertops and backsplash are made of Carrara marble.

Architect Ana Smud’s residence in the Vicente López suburb of Buenos Aires is surrounded by gardens and wrapped in timber, concrete, and glass.

In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

The goal: create a living space that would be connected to the garden, with great functionality. “They wanted a house they could raise children in, to the point where their children could be teenagers and adult children,” says Dovey. “They were really thinking forward into the future.”

Sitting eight feet off the ground, Erica and Eduardo Heidenreich’s island retreat in the Paraná River delta, north of Buenos Aires, is built to withstand the remote wetland’s periodic flooding.

The couple wanted a material palette with predominantly natural materials to drive the connection to the landscape, including real stone tiles, wood trim, and volcanic stone countertops. The custom cabinets are Ash wood, topped with a Basaltina slab.

The couple worked with Seattle-based firm SHED Architecture + Design on a remodel. At the front door the glass clerestory and sidelite were kept, but the solid door swapped out for a transparent one.

"The wood-burning stove is also a winter delight. I like to spend time with my wife drinking a glass of wine while watching the fire swaying in the wind. It gives me an extraordinary feeling!" says the owner.

The kitchen-cum-dining area is an open space that facilitates gatherings, working from home and lets people behind the counters communicate with others outside easily.

"The low floor with the outside makes moving equipment into the house easy, says Momono. “We often do television shoots at home, and the crew that comes thought the kitchen would be prefect for filming. We decided to do a cooking shoot in our house and ended up filming an overnight stay at a farmhouse!”

The house’s construction employs an aluminium-and-plastic composite structure and double-glazed insulated sash. The large openings use wood sashes with higher thermal insulation to minimise energy loss.

The whole project comprised only three months of design, two months of production (some 90 percent of which was completed at a Buenos Aires factory), one day of assembly, and five days of adjustments. The structure consists of just four 9-foot-8-inch-by-19-foot-7-inch modules supported by a foundation plate. “If we want to move it, we can,” says Teresa. “We could get a crane and disassemble it and then reassemble it on the coast.”

The exterior's charred timber, recycled brick and concrete finishes echo the honest, hardworking materials of Esperance's farm buildings.

The neutral backdrop of plywood and dove grey carpet is contrasted with bright red feature furniture pieces and potted plants.