Bangalore Houzz: This Holiday Home Is Enveloped in a Cocoon of Green
Designed by ma+rs, traditional touches uplift this concrete and wood home surrounded by nature
Located in the sporadically developed area of Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bangalore, the 4000-square-foot corner plot is flanked by gardens on three sides, a feature of which both the clients and the architects wanted to make full use. “To take advantage of the location, we planned the home as an L-shaped form abutting the road and cocooning a garden courtyard within the interior,” explains Anisha Menon, co-founder, ma+rs.
“As for the design, the clients wanted a unique, atypical home,” says co-founder Sabyasachi Routray. “They were looking for something that was a blend of contemporary and traditional.” Keeping the overall design modern, the architects introduced a few traditional materials, such as cane, glass mosaic terrazzo, and Athangudi tiles.
“As for the design, the clients wanted a unique, atypical home,” says co-founder Sabyasachi Routray. “They were looking for something that was a blend of contemporary and traditional.” Keeping the overall design modern, the architects introduced a few traditional materials, such as cane, glass mosaic terrazzo, and Athangudi tiles.
“The structure is designed with three major supports on the ground floor set in from the edge, thus cantilevering the ends of the building, making it look like a floating concrete mass,” the designers say. Most of the built zones are on the first floor, which enhances the sweeping views from each room.
“To harvest daylight and keep the interiors cool and private, the façade abutting the road is a double skin of jute-and-resin composite fixed louvres with pivoted shutters on the periphery, with toughened glass aluminium sliding windows on the inside. The building facing the garden, however, has only toughened glass aluminium sliding windows,” Routray explains.
“We designed the ground floor bedroom to be a quaint, low-height space,” says Menon. “The room is flanked by a large garden courtyard on one side and a small private garden tucked on the other.” A simple metal staircase outside the bedroom leads to the outdoor corridor on the first floor.
The rawness of the exposed concrete ceiling forms an interesting partner to the warmth of the wooden flooring and wall. Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of the surrounding green views.
Find an interior designer from the Houzz directory to design your home
The rawness of the exposed concrete ceiling forms an interesting partner to the warmth of the wooden flooring and wall. Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of the surrounding green views.
Find an interior designer from the Houzz directory to design your home
“Volumetrically, the main staircase is located in the centre of the building, dividing the building into two halves, southern and northern. The double-height staircase features almost blind-like walls on either side, leaving the user clueless about the expanse of green and stunning views on the other side,” says Routray. The main staircase and entrance walls are finished with white terrazzo with blue and green glass chips, adding subtle colour and texture to the exterior facade.
To the left is the main entrance, which opens to the southern portion of the building. This houses the living and dining rooms, kitchen and master bedroom. The northern portion is connected to the living room by an outdoor corridor and houses two more bedrooms and attached bathrooms.
Check out 10 unique ways to use terrazzo in your homes
To the left is the main entrance, which opens to the southern portion of the building. This houses the living and dining rooms, kitchen and master bedroom. The northern portion is connected to the living room by an outdoor corridor and houses two more bedrooms and attached bathrooms.
Check out 10 unique ways to use terrazzo in your homes
The entrance opens into a cosy living area that features expansive windows affording panoramic views on both sides, and a skylight. “The ceilings of the rooms are form-finish exposed concrete and the walls are finished with velvet-touch white paint. The flooring in most areas is a grey vitrified tile,” says Menon. To infuse the neutral palette with warmth, the architects chose simple cane and ash-wood furniture from Magari. A subtle patterned rug anchors the seating area.
Make your living room come alive with the selection of furniture from Houzz products
Make your living room come alive with the selection of furniture from Houzz products
Straight ahead, visually partitioning the living room from the L-shaped open kitchen, is a small custom-made dining nook illuminated by a sleek hanging light. Adding contrast to the predominantly white kitchen are floral patterned floor tiles and a backsplash of popping blue.
To the right of the living room lies the master bedroom, with an attached bathroom and the exit into the outdoor corridor that leads to the northern portion of the home.
The first-floor master bedroom lies directly on top of the ground-floor bedroom and looks out over the gardens. The room is divided into a sleeping area with a reading nook, and a walk-in closet area behind the white partition. A sleek white four-poster bed and deep-blue upholstery are the only dramatic additions to this contemporary space.
Browse through Houzz photos for more bedroom design ideas
Browse through Houzz photos for more bedroom design ideas
All the bathrooms feature simple fixtures and hardware. “We got creative in each bathroom by adding beauty through patterned tiles balanced by plain ones,” says Routray.
The layout of the two bedrooms in the northern portion of the home mirror each other with nearly identical decor. With a base palette of warm wood and soft grey, one room features mustard-yellow contrasts on the wardrobe sections and the headboard alcove, while the other uses cerulean blue in the same areas. The slanted skylight floods the room with diffused natural light.
The two attached bathrooms also mirror each other in layout, with a small skylight and frosted glass windows filtering in soft natural light.
Each bathroom features a flooring and dado of patterned tiles balanced by plain tiles on the upper portion of the walls. Adding a little more visual interest to the areas are the subtly textured counters.
Find out why Athangudi tiles are all the rage
Find out why Athangudi tiles are all the rage
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
Who lives here: A family of six: a couple, two children and grandparents
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka
Year/decade built: 2019
Size: 355 square metres (3821 square feet); 4 bedrooms with 4 bathrooms
Architectural and interior designers: Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray, principal architects and founders, ma+rs
Photos by Manoj Sudhakaran
“The idea was to feel connected to nature and create a living space within the greenery,” Menon continues. To achieve this, most of the ground floor is dedicated to open spaces, housing only one bedroom with an attached bathroom and the caretaker’s room to the left, a central store room and outdoor areas to the right.