Rekha and her husband Gopakumar had no craze for the modern, contemporary or classic styles.Rekha and her husband Gopakumar had no craze for the modern, contemporary or classic styles. Hence, the house they built on their ancestral property in Adoor is clearly leaning towards a Baker model house. Aiding them in their venture was Naveen Lal, an engineer with the Punalur Branch of Habitat Technologies.
Much before the structure was visualized, the couple did a lot of research, weighing a lot of options. They sourced magazines and websites to glean whatever they could about the latest in design and construction technologies.
The couple showed no yen for a huge structure or a showy one, which would fetch them a lot of “awws” or “wows”. Since Rekha’s father was an expert in Vaasthu, his advice was sought and the house was built as per his instructions. The final plan was fixed at 2,052 sq ft. Since the desire for air flow and light was dear to everyone, an ordinary design was given up in favor of one which would cover all the elements. Another demand was for adequate storage.
The foundation was reinforced as doubts were expressed about the firmness of the earth. Extra concreting was necessitated for a depth of four feet and a width of three feet. This in itself incurred an extra Rs 5 lakh on the structure, which faces the east. You find exposed walls in the patio leading from the dining section and the outside. There was no compromise on that design factor and the wire cut bricks needed for this were sourced from Vallikkunnam.
The foundation was reinforced as doubts were expressed about the firmness of the earth.As the couple chose red and white color themes for the spaces down, they had to scout around quite a bit to find the matching furniture. Since Rekha happened to be quite good at painting, she was particular to have a work of her own adorning the walls of the living room. And there it rests giving her the joy of seeing her artwork on the walls of her abode.
When the design was conceived, it was proposed to have an entrance to the pooja room straight from the courtyard.The living room ceiling in double height was provided to bring in plenty of air and light into the insides. The jali work up brings in a lot of light.
The living room ceiling in double height was provided to bring in plenty of air and light into the insides. When the design was conceived, it was proposed to have an entrance to the pooja room straight from the courtyard. The courtyard columns, though they look like concrete structures, are in fact concrete-like designs worked on cement.
The red color theme makes its presence felt again in the dining section as well as the kitchen. A part of the wall each in the living and dining sections has been painted in red texture. The kitchen cabinets too are in red. A lot of curios and showpieces are also in various hues of red.
The red color theme makes its presence felt again in the dining section as well as the kitchen. All the doors, which open out, are of steel. The front door, the main one, which has nine locks built into it cost a whopping Rs 34,000. The woodwork has been done in mahogany, anjili, jack and acacia. While the staircase is in mahogany, the beds have been built with acacia.
A new design element can be seen on the staircase railing. The area under the stairway has been turned into a study with plenty of storage. Grills have been fixed at the exit from the dining section to the outside. Although the initial plan was to have a patio there, concerns of security demanded that the area is replaced by grills.
There are four bedrooms, with two up and two down, each with different color themes. The children’s room has been highlighted in blue with stencil paint providing the added style touch. Here too, storage space has been provided underneath the beds. The master bedroom has been highlighted in lavender. While the bedroom and wash area cupboards have been done up with laminated marine ply, it’s acrylic in the kitchen. A small breakfast counter sits inside the kitchen.
There are four bedrooms, with two up and two down, each with different color themes. The staircase landing is their favorite haunt. It’s from the landing space that the stylish wooden bars one sees from outside originate. The house, which has sloping roofs all around, is blessed with air and light in all their richness. You can sit around and luxuriate in the space provided here.
The couple is happy in their home. A lot of thought and a lot of planning have not been in vain.
