Eruva is place close to Kayamkulam town in Kerala. A silent and tranquil hamlet away from the immediate bustle of the township, the place basks in the pristine beauty of quintessential Kerala with a plane landscape filled with palm groves and tropical vegetation. Tucked aside a straight and slender road that runs amid such a heartland is 'Sowparnika' the expansive manor of Pratheep and Swapna.
It's a renovated house with no major changes done to its basic structure. However, the interiors have undergone a mind-blowing transformation with a slick, over-the-top design refurbishment.
The gates open to a vast lawn paved with Bangalore stones and lined with carpet grass. Apart from the car porch, there is a separate garage to the left which can accommodate two light vehicles. The steps at the facade lead to an open sit-out to the left of what is the pooja room.
As we enter the hall through the doorway, a sea of magnificence unfolds before our eyes. What stands out first is the enormous and majestic chandeliers hanging from the double-height ceiling. The floor is laid with vitrified tiles. The custom-made couch and the coffee table, the TV unit set above a small chest adorned with exotic curios make it an exuberant living space. The cupboards here are made using veneer and ply.
To the left are two bedrooms separated by a narrow wall projecting an array of blow-up photos of the family members.
The dining is arranged with and an 8-seater white countertop table. Here too there is a glass rack adorned with curios. The first kitchen is open-themed with a breakfast counter. Here too the space is bedecked with hangings, curios and art pieces. The cabinet and racks are covered with laminate and glass. The white Corian countertops is yet another highlight. There is a hiding rack to make optimum use of space.
The working kitchen is the main place where most of the cooking is done. There is also an outhouse behind the building with a kitchen, a small bedroom and a bathroom for the convenience of domestic help.
A Buddha-themed space behind the dining room under the skylight pergola captures the essence of peace that permeates the entire mansion. A sliding door here opens to a thematically designed courtyard behind, that adds to the charm of the dwelling. The walls have been raised using laterite stones brought from Kannur.
The jali works append beauty to the ambience. The natural grass designed with evenly paved stones on the ground and the exotic plants and creepers that entwine the window grill render it a nature-like ambience. The space is decked up for small family functions like a birthday and so on. Here too there is a 3D Buddha engraving, which lends a straight view from any angle.
Staircase in wood-and-glass combination is a feature, which had undergone a drastic makeover. The earlier flight of stairs, which ran straight stood obliquely in the hall crossing the wall behind. This was demolished and was built in a two-deck pattern.
It was Swapna's father who built the house for her over twenty years ago. Though he passed away three years ago. His memories are still fresh in the mind of the family. Swanpa's husband Pratheep was born and brought up in Bengaluru. The couple has two daughters. The elder one Prarthana is in class XI and the younger Nakshatra is in class VI.
"Our initial decision was to renovate just one room for Praththana," says Swapna, "but eventually, the whole house underwent a makeover, step by step."
A flight of stairs from the ground floor leads to Prarthana's room first. The fabulous room greets us with a blown-up image of Prarthana in a Bharatnatyam pose done on a wallpaper.
There is a library-cum-dance floor also on the second floor. It is a space that is used to explore both educational as well as artistic talents.
There are three bedrooms upstairs and an elaborate balcony. A grandiose view of the landscape is also possible from the balcony, which has a majestic wooden swing hanging at one stretch.
"The redesign has brought us more breeze and sunshine into the house as we expected," says an elated Pratheep.
Undoubtedly, with lavish lawns, majestic features, and resplendent decors, the house evokes a life-enriching ambience and serene peace.
Project Facts
Location- Eruva, Kayamkulam
Owner- Swapna, Pratheep
Design- Reji, Sajiv, Design Concept
Mob: 9995182445
