The Fabulous Residences of Punta Del Este

A few years back we spent a week in Punta Del Este, the glamorous beach resort in Uruguay that each summer hosts the beautiful people of South America, in particular the nearby residents of Buenos Aires. While there we were blown away by the quality of residential design throughout the area, from the striking casas found on Punta Ballena, to the new condo buildings lining the coast east of the city center, to the beach houses in the charming hamlet of La Barra (where we stayed), to the stunning works to be found in Jose Ignacio, an exclusive little commune at the end of the paved highway a further twenty minutes to the east.

It's no secret to those who know us that we love the modern architecture of South America. That continent was fertile ground for the seeds of the Modern Movement blowing in from Europe in the period between the World Wars and she has continued to embrace it and take it to new heights. Of course, we can't talk about this without mentioning the towering Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, who at the sprightly age of 103 continues to head into the office to teach the youngsters a thing or two! But we are especially fond of the works of fellow Brazilan Isay Weinfeld, who's homes we mentioned here and here, and of Chilean Mathias Klotz. Both of these gentlemen pursue the rigorous clean lines of classic modernism, but introduce soothing elements such as native wood, either in its raw state or in sophisticated states of finish. And along with locally practising Diego Montero and Martin Gomez, both have contributed to the fine architectural stock of La Punta.

Oscar:

 above courtesy Colectiva.tv

above courtesy Perl's Weblog at www.arch.ttu.edu

 Isay:

above courtesy modernhomeidea.com

above courtesy The Good Blood blog

Mathias:

above courtesy Dezeen.com via justcooldesign

We've been awaiting the right opportunity to post on this subject, and that entré was recently provided courtesy of another of our favourite blogs, Made In Brazil. While the blog typically focuses on the world of fashion, and in particular the gorgeous Brazilians who inhabit it, the author vacations annually in Punta Del Este and always manages a few shots of the fabulous residences found there. Here's the link to his recent post on the subject  including a brief gallery of beautiful homes, some of which we share below.

Here are our favourites, organized by area:

Punta Ballena area (west of the city center):

The coast east of the City Center:

La Barra:

 Jose Ignacio area:

last two shots above courtesy Made In Brazil

So, what do you think? Are you a die-hard modernist or do you find these too minimalist? Share your thoughts with us by commenting below.