2023-Pala, Kerala
Simplicity and restraint are concepts used to enhance every project, and here is presenting one such attempt through a house hugged by huge, landscaped courts. Located in an orchard, the project focuses on low maintenance, vernacular style details and a simple material palette that helps experience the space as true to the place. The plan represents the traditional courtyard concept that evolved into an elongated central space with living, dining, and drawing rooms as the core of the house. The bedrooms gain ample privacy, being their own wing on one side of the living space. The kitchen and work areas are along the same axis as the dining room. Overall, the plan is perceived as shaped by sliding two rectangular forms, and the spaces displaced in turn form the vestibule, courtyard, and sit-outs. The informal areas in and around the house foster a simple lifestyle and help connect the occupants with nature. The colors and material palette chosen are comforting and put the mind at ease. The house consolidates modest and familiar elements such as alternating brick cladding in the exterior, roofing tiles, short walls of exposed stone in the landscaped courts, wood finishes modernized by metal framing for furniture details, and a varied choice of fabrics complimenting the minimalism.
