Varma House

Set within a plot measuring 5,600 sft, this four-bedroom house strikes a comfortable balance between built-up area and green space. The homeowners requested an unobstructed flow of light and air through the house and an emphasis on security and privacy.

The façade has an interesting juxtaposition and articulation of forms. A 10 ft. cantilevered white cube emerges from a sweeping curved ochre skin wall. The ochre wall hugs the house, rising and stepping down to allow for glimpses of the garden and the huge rain tree across the road. A north light clerestory window with a large Kerala and Mangalore-tiled roof overhang hovers above.

The north entrance of the house leads one through a glass canopy into the main living space. Here, living and dining areas flow gently into one another and both open out into the verandah and court with a shallow reflecting pool.

The plan of the house segregates public or semi-public spaces from the private family areas. Two guest rooms, the living area, dining space and kitchen occupy the ground floor, whereas the master bedroom, children’s room and family den are on the first floor.

A strip of natural light filters through the entire north-south length of the house. Hugging a sandstone-clad skewed wall, the 1 ft. wide skylight bathes the interior volume, penetrating into the ground floor via a large opening in the slab. The double-height volume acts as a visual connector between the two floors. At either end of the skylight are interesting vantage points – a textured magenta wall in the south and a view of the large rain tree via the cantilevered cube in the north.