Houzz Tour: Minimalism Meets Vintage in This Bangalore Holiday Home
This contemporary open-plan home by Praxis, uses local materials and repurposed furniture to make the most of nature
Naveen wanted a holiday home where he could spend weekends away from the fast-paced city life. He got in touch with the team at Praxis for this project. His brief was simple: his family wanted a minimalist, low-maintenance weekend getaway where they could relax amidst nature and entertain their guests. “The place would be uninhabited for extended periods of time, so low maintenance was a key factor, in planning and configuring the space,” says Gopa Menon, partner at Praxis. The scope of the firm’s work extended to include the architecture as well as the interiors of the house. Menon adds, “The house brings a good mix of clean, minimalist lines in terms of the architecture and the details of the antique furniture and columns.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Naveen and his family
Location: Eagleton Golf Village, 40 kilometres from Bangalore
Year built: 2015
Size: About 326 square metres; 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
Architectural designers: Gopa Menon and Ankita Jain of Praxis
Site coordinator: MAS Constructions
Photos by Rajiv Majumdar
The house opens up to a huge double-height open plan living area. “The interiors are light and minimal. The furniture pieces are sparse but functional; each individual piece can be moved around to host larger gatherings,” adds Menon.
The sitting area includes a contemporary grey sofa, a traditional wooden bench and custom made tables. “Brackets of antique wooden columns are used as the foot of the glass coffee table,” points out Menon. The rug, which anchors this setup is the only colourful element in the space.
Bench: Balaji Antiques
The sitting area includes a contemporary grey sofa, a traditional wooden bench and custom made tables. “Brackets of antique wooden columns are used as the foot of the glass coffee table,” points out Menon. The rug, which anchors this setup is the only colourful element in the space.
Bench: Balaji Antiques
The open floor plan of the ground floor also includes a kitchen located on the side of the space. Menon elaborates about the kitchen plan, “It was conceived as a standalone unit that helped in maximising the connection between the living, the dining and the verandah outside.”
The wooden kitchen unit in teal hides the appliances and also defines the kitchen area as one space. The grey and white athangudi tiles on the counter backsplash offset the bright teal giving this area an eclectic touch. “The kitchen block is meant to induce a sculpture like visual interest within a rather simple setting,” adds Menon.
Tiles: Bharat Flooring and Tiles
The wooden kitchen unit in teal hides the appliances and also defines the kitchen area as one space. The grey and white athangudi tiles on the counter backsplash offset the bright teal giving this area an eclectic touch. “The kitchen block is meant to induce a sculpture like visual interest within a rather simple setting,” adds Menon.
Tiles: Bharat Flooring and Tiles
A tall breakfast table with stools made of wood and metal shares the kitchen area with the teal unit. This table setup bears resemblance to the panelled roof over it. “The furniture is chosen by us. Some of the pieces are custom made, while others are sourced from various local vendors and dealers of antique furniture. There is some reclaimed furniture in the mix too,” says Menon.
Floor to ceiling glass panels form the walls on the three sides of the ground floor. “The glasses open up and eliminate the need for air conditioning,” says Menon.
The kitchen area opens up to a small, more formal dining space with stone paved flooring and open ceiling only made up of a metal framework. It is flanked by a rugged stone wall on the right while on the left is the lawn. Two large pendant lights above the simple wooden table provide the lighting in this area. “The outdoor dining space is planned to take advantage of the salubrious local climate. The furniture of this area can also be easily moved around,” adds Menon.
Lights: Sunshine Boulevard, Purple Turtles
The kitchen area opens up to a small, more formal dining space with stone paved flooring and open ceiling only made up of a metal framework. It is flanked by a rugged stone wall on the right while on the left is the lawn. Two large pendant lights above the simple wooden table provide the lighting in this area. “The outdoor dining space is planned to take advantage of the salubrious local climate. The furniture of this area can also be easily moved around,” adds Menon.
Lights: Sunshine Boulevard, Purple Turtles
The minimalist design approach is also seen in the architecture of the house. The walls of the master bedroom, just like rest of the house, are hand plastered and the bricks of the jack-arch roof are left exposed. “The materials are kept to a minimal palette; most of it has raw finishes and is largely maintenance free,” says Menon.
Black and white dominate the colour scheme of this bedroom which has no dearth of natural light as two sides are covered by huge glass windows.
Explore the beauty of exposed brick walls
Black and white dominate the colour scheme of this bedroom which has no dearth of natural light as two sides are covered by huge glass windows.
Explore the beauty of exposed brick walls
Adjoining the master bedroom is a spacious bathroom. The bathroom backsplash wall adds a bit of drama to the space and mirrors the same athangudi tiles from the kitchen area.
Not shown in the pictures here, but “the inclined roof accommodates the son’s sleeping loft, a living room, kitchen and an informal dining area in one large double height volume,” says Menon.
The living room space opens to a stone paved verandah with a series of antique columns. “These columns were sourced from a nearby site,” adds Menon. Recessed lights are placed on the floor, next to each column, to highlight them. The verandah leads to the green lawn, there is no manicured planned garden keeping with the au naturel design philosophy of the whole house.
Read more:
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Tell us:
What do you think of this tranquil holiday home? Share your thoughts in the comment section below
Read more:
Houzz Tour: A Dreamy Penthouse With a Contemporary Twist
Houzz Tour: A Delhi House Celebrates Recycled Furniture
Tell us:
What do you think of this tranquil holiday home? Share your thoughts in the comment section below
The pitched roof is lightweight and made of sandwiched polystyrene panels with a layer of asphalt shingles on top. It is built on a metal framework with panels fixed on it.
Most of the construction materials, such as rubble stone, concrete and metal have been locally sourced. “Even the boulders excavated at the site have been used, some are placed near the entrance as a sculptural feature,” says Menon.