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Project posted by Arun Shekar Gowda

Weekend Home by the hills

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Location
Wayanad, Kerala, India
Year
2020
Style
Farmhouse
A wooden deewan along with three-legged high stools sits opposite a durable carved wooden coffee table with brass hinges; a Wabi-Sabi style rustic pot, acid finish glass vase, and vintage Moghul painting, the cement flooring —completes the scene.
A wooden deewan along with three-legged high stools sits opposite a durable carved wooden coffee table with brass hinges; a Wabi-Sabi style rustic pot, acid finish glass vase, and vintage Moghul painting, the cement flooring —completes the scene.
A handsome Kerala teak door adorns the entrance; the famous trunkless elephant sitting beyond the landscape is an antique. The owner purchased the door and artifacts from an old manor house near Mattancheri. The benches were custom-made by Humming Tree’s carpenters. The tall floor stand mirror was a gift from a dear friend; the photo frames on the wall are from Mysore.
A handsome Kerala teak door adorns the entrance; the famous trunkless elephant sitting beyond the landscape is an antique. The owner purchased the door and artifacts from an old manor house near Mattancheri. The benches were custom-made by Humming Tree’s carpenters. The tall floor stand mirror was a gift from a dear friend; the photo frames on the wall are from Mysore.
Custom bedside table with decors and flowers help soften the bedroom's sharp linearity in the master suite, where the bed is topped with linens from Zara Home and flanked by vintage nightstands. The cot is from Mattencheri, the rugs are by Stories, and the pendant light is by LIGHT Calicut. A bed topped in mustard throw from Zara.
Custom bedside table with decors and flowers help soften the bedroom's sharp linearity in the master suite, where the bed is topped with linens from Zara Home and flanked by vintage nightstands. The cot is from Mattencheri, the rugs are by Stories, and the pendant light is by LIGHT Calicut. A bed topped in mustard throw from Zara.
Custom bedside table with decors and flowers help soften the bedroom's sharp linearity in the master suite, where the bed is topped with linens from Zara Home and flanked by vintage nightstands. The cot is from Mattencheri, the rugs are by Stories, and the pendant light is by LIGHT Calicut. A bed topped in mustard throw from Zara.
Custom bedside table with decors and flowers help soften the bedroom's sharp linearity in the master suite, where the bed is topped with linens from Zara Home and flanked by vintage nightstands. The cot is from Mattencheri, the rugs are by Stories, and the pendant light is by LIGHT Calicut. A bed topped in mustard throw from Zara.
We had paintings by a remote village artist from Karnataka accentuating the family living room, where a vintage wooden daybed, a Pottery Barn jute rug, with abundant daylight sweeping through combining together to create a cozy reading nook, with a high clay tile roofing showing off its beautiful hanging lights. Rather than preferring to use AC, we engaged several high walls infused with top hung windows to let the hot hair pass to create natural ventilation that would keep the interior cool. The central hallway of this home is anchored by a local indoor tree growing toward the sky creates a sense of space. - “The motive was to figure out how to make these beautiful objects that matter, voicing upcycling/sustainability/art pieces which can become a conversation starter, bringing back memories from the past,” says Arun who is the artistic director of Humming Tree, greatly inspired by Wabi-Sabi style & Geoffery Bawa.
We had paintings by a remote village artist from Karnataka accentuating the family living room, where a vintage wooden daybed, a Pottery Barn jute rug, with abundant daylight sweeping through combining together to create a cozy reading nook, with a high clay tile roofing showing off its beautiful hanging lights. Rather than preferring to use AC, we engaged several high walls infused with top hung windows to let the hot hair pass to create natural ventilation that would keep the interior cool. The central hallway of this home is anchored by a local indoor tree growing toward the sky creates a sense of space. - “The motive was to figure out how to make these beautiful objects that matter, voicing upcycling/sustainability/art pieces which can become a conversation starter, bringing back memories from the past,” says Arun who is the artistic director of Humming Tree, greatly inspired by Wabi-Sabi style & Geoffery Bawa.
The rich burgundy custom fabric art was made from recycled vintage cloth. This adorns a pair of ceramic pickle jars, these were sourced—which was once used to store dried fish/pickles—from antique dealers during the house’s construction. This gives the whole space an old-world charm and the art just smoothens the entire space due to the rich fabric texture. The custom chair was restored from an old furniture market in south Kerala.
The rich burgundy custom fabric art was made from recycled vintage cloth. This adorns a pair of ceramic pickle jars, these were sourced—which was once used to store dried fish/pickles—from antique dealers during the house’s construction. This gives the whole space an old-world charm and the art just smoothens the entire space due to the rich fabric texture. The custom chair was restored from an old furniture market in south Kerala.
The kitchen was designed to have an open layout, it's open overlooking the dining and living with double light & the ample amount of daylight just sweeps in all through the day with a beautiful scenic view outside.The high ceiling gives volume. The color palette used is earthy & Granite top is used for the platform with brick cladding for the counters
The kitchen was designed to have an open layout, it's open overlooking the dining and living with double light & the ample amount of daylight just sweeps in all through the day with a beautiful scenic view outside.The high ceiling gives volume. The color palette used is earthy & Granite top is used for the platform with brick cladding for the counters
In the dining room, a custom dining table by Humming Tree is paired with three-legged chairs, sourced from Mattancheri-the art hub of Kerala, and a bench. Hanging clay pendants were designed by Humming Tree and produced by LIGHTS with the help of local clay makers in Kerala. The console table highlights the art. Due to the smart positioning of the courtyards, the house remains remarkably cool during the day. The house, comprising of a metal structure and-clay tiled roof, an elevated roof terrace, and courtyards—seamlessly blends the outdoor and indoor space.
In the dining room, a custom dining table by Humming Tree is paired with three-legged chairs, sourced from Mattancheri-the art hub of Kerala, and a bench. Hanging clay pendants were designed by Humming Tree and produced by LIGHTS with the help of local clay makers in Kerala. The console table highlights the art. Due to the smart positioning of the courtyards, the house remains remarkably cool during the day. The house, comprising of a metal structure and-clay tiled roof, an elevated roof terrace, and courtyards—seamlessly blends the outdoor and indoor space.
The bedrooms also feature vintage, retro-inspired legs. A popular fixture from Sri Lanka. Earthy color palates and clay roof ceiling enrich the space.
The bedrooms also feature vintage, retro-inspired legs. A popular fixture from Sri Lanka. Earthy color palates and clay roof ceiling enrich the space.
Sustainability / meaningful/contextual designs are New Luxury. We as designers have evolved over the years, we really had to somehow voice and embody these aspects in our designs. We tried to use contextual materials available near to the site as much as possible. Having access to natural light &lush green patches at homes is refreshing at any given point. Encouraging local artisans, sourcing, and customizing pieces from them will always add in lot of character to space.
Sustainability / meaningful/contextual designs are New Luxury. We as designers have evolved over the years, we really had to somehow voice and embody these aspects in our designs. We tried to use contextual materials available near to the site as much as possible. Having access to natural light &lush green patches at homes is refreshing at any given point. Encouraging local artisans, sourcing, and customizing pieces from them will always add in lot of character to space.
- The house is made up of laterite stones and bricks local to context and mud, so the design is contextual to heavy monsoons and harsh sun. The double heights and courtyards ease the cross-ventilation, so several openings, doors, and windows were added with clay roofing which also helps to regulate the microclimate. We worked with locally available natural stones, terracotta roof tiles have been used for the roofing it also helps to reduce heat gain. Organic bees-wax, local mixtures of lime has been used to coat the interior walls and exterior wooden surfaces. Using the best water integrated systems to harvest rainwater not only increases the consumption of water usage during hard times but also filters out which can be used for other purposes too.
- The house is made up of laterite stones and bricks local to context and mud, so the design is contextual to heavy monsoons and harsh sun. The double heights and courtyards ease the cross-ventilation, so several openings, doors, and windows were added with clay roofing which also helps to regulate the microclimate. We worked with locally available natural stones, terracotta roof tiles have been used for the roofing it also helps to reduce heat gain. Organic bees-wax, local mixtures of lime has been used to coat the interior walls and exterior wooden surfaces. Using the best water integrated systems to harvest rainwater not only increases the consumption of water usage during hard times but also filters out which can be used for other purposes too.
- The house is made up of laterite stones and bricks local to context and mud, so the design is contextual to heavy monsoons and harsh sun. The double heights and courtyards ease the cross-ventilation, so several openings, doors, and windows were added with clay roofing which also helps to regulate the microclimate. We worked with locally available natural stones, terracotta roof tiles have been used for the roofing it also helps to reduce heat gain. Organic bees-wax, local mixtures of lime has been used to coat the interior walls and exterior wooden surfaces. Using the best water integrated systems to harvest rainwater not only increases the consumption of water usage during hard times but also filters out which can be used for other purposes too.
- The house is made up of laterite stones and bricks local to context and mud, so the design is contextual to heavy monsoons and harsh sun. The double heights and courtyards ease the cross-ventilation, so several openings, doors, and windows were added with clay roofing which also helps to regulate the microclimate. We worked with locally available natural stones, terracotta roof tiles have been used for the roofing it also helps to reduce heat gain. Organic bees-wax, local mixtures of lime has been used to coat the interior walls and exterior wooden surfaces. Using the best water integrated systems to harvest rainwater not only increases the consumption of water usage during hard times but also filters out which can be used for other purposes too.

Details

Square Feet
3700
Lot Size
10 Acres
Bedrooms
3
Full Baths
3
Partial Baths
1

Credits

Posted by
Architect
Arun Shekar Gowda
Mohammed Afnan
Interior Design
Builder
Limotex
Photographer
Justin Sebastian Photography

From Arun Shekar Gowda

With its amazing climate and range of hills—it comes as no surprise, that Wayanad in Kerala, is truly fascinating for the architectural landscape. Now syncing into this hilly region, it turns out that this weekend/holiday home includes colonnaded verandas, courtyards, high ceilings, and breezy folding doors, features that cater to the humid, tropical weather and the torrential downpour that might suddenly occur. Take a walk through this home's highlights to inspire the decorating scheme for your next vacation house.
The brief from the client to us was simple; they wanted a holiday home where they can spend some quality time once they returned from Dubai. They insisted on wanting a home where they can feel and experience the warmth and stay closer to nature. That’s the point we took it forward & got the entire house designed. Afnan & I are truly inspired by Bawa’s work, but our practice doesn’t stick to one palate. We have works that resonate with a lot of styles and that’s what makes our practice distinguishing. We tried to convince them of using contextual materials which would have less carbon footprint on the environment we live in. i.e – the clay / terracotta / greens / reused / reclaimed wood and artifacts.