His is a face that features in almost every top Malayalam publications these days. All the journalists and media professionals who met him for interviews, seem to be raving about one common thing – Jeethu Joseph’s new home at the Puthiyakaavu Junction in Thripunithura.
The road that leads us from the large gate surrounds the contemporary style home and disappears to somewhere in the boundary of the massive plot. As we stand there gaping at the sheer size of the plot, Jeethu approaches us in true Drishyam style. Seeing the surprise in our eyes, he informs us that only the 18 cents within his compound wall belongs to him and not the rest! Once the photo shoot is done with, the director passionately begins to tell us the story behind this beautiful home.
“We didn’t have many demands about the exterior look of the house. The construction was on when I was busy with films, Memories and Drishyam. My wife Linta was the costume designer for the films and hence both of us couldn’t involve much in the design or the building process. All the credit goes to the architect Anhaz & the interior designers Raheen Pavithran & wife Sheela.”
In the living room, all the three walls follow different styling. One wall has a beautiful texture paint theme, the other wall is stark white and in the place of the third wall, there is toughened glass. An attractive 3 tier centre table is the highlight here.
The family area on the left has a beige theme 2-seater and chairs. The curtain have similar themes and texture paint can be seen on the wall here. The guest bedroom is adjacent to this.
“We haven’t given much prominence to the exterior design or aesthetics but wanted the interiors to be most comfortable”, adds Linta. Some of the demands that they had were that the rooms should be spacious and the main theme ought to be white. Jeethu was adamant about substantial area in the backyard. They have even built a Gazebo in the backyard. For this, the house had to have a frontal projection. A private writing room for Jeethu & a home theatre were the other elements in their wish list.
The ‘Valiyakandathil' house is set in an elevated level from the plots lying nearby. The house and the compound wall has a modern design. The main gate opens directly onto the car porch. Another wicket gate leads to the sit out. On the lawn surrounding the house, there is a stone path that doubles up as a green walkway.
A look inside
The family wanted the staircase to be a design element in itself. And so the wooden stairs have been given an ethnic look. On the wall near the stairs, there is a large glass door that lets in ample light into the living area. Close to the living area is the modern style kitchen and dining area. The colour themes used in the island kitchen are silver, white and black. To go with this theme, artificial marble called ‘Techno Stone’ that is 100% stain-proof has been used on the countertops.
Two sliding glass doors form the important element in the dining area. A dine-out concept features in this design style. After food, the sliding doors lead to a veranda. Desserts can be had in this space or even an outdoor barbeque party too.
There are 4 bedrooms in the house. One room on the ground floor and the remaining 3 on the top floor. There is also another family living area in the landing of the stairs that lead up. On both sides of this living area are the children’s bedrooms. The master bedroom faces the landing. Jeethu’s writing room is near this area. Wooden flooring has been done in the master bedroom and this is the bigger room of the lot. There is even a balcony in this room. The curtains and the throw pillows all follow the same colour theme. All bedrooms are bath-attached and have walk –in wardrobes. A common factor in the bedrooms are false ceiling, concealed lighting and wooden headboard for all the beds.
If you want to see the best surprise in the home, take the stairs to a second level- a home theatre for a one of a kind ‘film’ experience. Plenty of tiny LED lights are the stars here. The walls are covered in a special fabric material to remove traces of echo. The carpets and floor also play a part in sound proofing the room. There are 6 recliner fabric chairs here. The windows here have been covered up with wooden blinds for better effect.
Indirect Likes
During a family photo session in the Gazebo, Jeethu says, “Mallika Sukumaran’s house in Trivandrum has a beautiful backyard, and the moment I saw it, I had wanted to have a splendid backyard whenever I build my home.”
Before Jeethu got back to his writing, we had a few rapid fire questions ready for him:
Do you find any similarities between building a home and taking a film?
No similarities but certainly there are differences. We make a film for an audience but we build a home for ourselves to stay in and be comfortable. For that reason, our house warming was a very small and private affair.
Anything that you would never want inside a home?
Wooden panelling. I hate it. And the usage of too many beams.
Your favourite element in this house?
Indirect lighting. The special mood it creates is like nothing else. Indirect lighting. The special mood it creates is like nothing else.