Emil was a rookie architect when his parents entrusted him to design their new house in their hometown in Thalassery. He had just completed his course and was still doing an internship when he confidently took on this incredible ‘assignment’. Their old house had congested interior spaces that hardly welcomed natural sunshine or cool breeze. So, his parents wanted to enjoy oodles of sunshine and air circulation in their new house.
The unique layout of the plot was quite challenging. Initially, the family had planned to build the house on 53 cents land by levelling the hills. However, there were quite a few legal challenges as the soil couldn’t be moved out. So, the leftover mud after building the foundation was smartly utilized while designing the landscape. The plot stands a few feet above the road level. Besides a driveway, steep steps that lead to the entrance area too have been built in the landscape.
The elevation is in perfect sync with the slopy layout. Box structures in multiple angles and sizes are arranged in splendid geometric construction to grant a unique elegance to the elevation. Each box is highlighted with different colours to make the exteriors look vibrant. As the house stands on an elevated plot, a splendid view of the road could be enjoyed from the interiors. Besides, the panoramic view of mesmerizing mountains, fabulous wood and the lush greenery around the house too could be enjoyed from here.
Designed in 4300 sqft, this amazing mansion has a car porch, sit-out, formal and family living rooms, dining area, prayer area, kitchen with an adjacent work area and two bedrooms on the ground floor. Meanwhile, the upper floor has three more bedrooms, a balcony and a swimming pool too.
Even though the interior spaces are interconnected, each area dons a unique identity. Designer features like exposed walls, varied flooring patterns, ceilings and semi partitions have been beautifully incorporated to achieve this.
The double-height ceiling of the prayer area has a skylight which brings in lots of golden sunshine. A special type of glass that lets in only the light by filtering the hot sun rays has been used here. Besides, excellent cross ventilation is a spectacular feature here. So, there is no need to switch on the lights and fans during the daytime.
The staircase in a metal frame is simple and classy. Steps in compressed wood and the hand railings in exquisite teak wood make this staircase an opulent designer piece.
The vast island kitchen has cabinets done in marine ply and multi-wood combination.
The spacious bedrooms have been designed to cater to the needs and interests of the family members. Besides attached bathrooms, these rooms have an inbuilt wardrobe for storage. A wall in each room has been highlighted in soothing colours to grant a pleasant ambience. Interestingly, all the bedrooms have adjacent balconies as the house is surrounded by beautiful greenery and nature.
Emil is proud and happy that he got the rare opportunity to design his own house as his maiden project. Meanwhile, his family members too shower praise on him for perfectly designing their dream dwelling.
Project Facts
Location – Thalassery
Area – 4300 SFT
Owner – Celestin John and Lincy
Architect – Emil Jean
Benchmark Architects
Mob – 8594049294
Year of completion - 2021
