Goa Houzz: Redesigned With a Courtyard, Jali Walls & Heritage Tiles
Verdant surroundings and traditional elements merge seamlessly with tranquil spaces and modern aesthetics
Aditi Sharma Maheshwari
26 February 2018
Blogger, dog mom
His 14-year-old Goa home needed redesigning. Architect Ankit Prabhudessai of Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai decided on a theme that would emanate hospitality, resonate with traditional architecture and harmonise with the surrounding nature. The result? An expansive retreat soaked in tranquility, offering its inhabitants and guests the promise of peace and pleasure. “We like to entertain a lot, so I redesigned many areas to cater to various sizes and type of social gathering. Also, I wanted to blur the lines between the indoors and the outdoors, and have a design interlaid with elements from Goan-Portuguese history,” Prabhudessai says.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Ankit Prabhudessai, his wife and his parents
Location: Margao, Goa
Year renovated: 2015
Size: 525 square metres (5651 square feet); 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
Architectural designer: Ankit Prabhudessai, founder, Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai
Photos by Prashant Bhat
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Ankit Prabhudessai, his wife and his parents
Location: Margao, Goa
Year renovated: 2015
Size: 525 square metres (5651 square feet); 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
Architectural designer: Ankit Prabhudessai, founder, Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai
Photos by Prashant Bhat
Inspired by architect Le Corbusier, Prabhudessai planned the redesign of the home so as to frame the vistas around. “I wanted to alternate between controlled views and wide panoramas of nature, which create a variety of different atmospheres and experiences throughout the house,” he says.
Another intriguing aspect about the home is that its entirety is never revealed at once. “The architecture and greenery is planned in such a way that the spaces slowly unfold to the visitors as an experiential and spatial journey,” Prabhudessai says .
Another intriguing aspect about the home is that its entirety is never revealed at once. “The architecture and greenery is planned in such a way that the spaces slowly unfold to the visitors as an experiential and spatial journey,” Prabhudessai says .
The teakwood front door displays a janger dancer’s face placed on the lintel (janger is a Balinese dance form). The bench finished in red IPS (Indian Patented Stone) embedded with traditional painted Portuguese Azulejos tiles grabs our attention in the front porch. The area is illuminated by an industrial cage lamp fitted with a slender cylindrical filament bulb. Adding to the charm of the area is the floor finished in bush-hammered black granite. Clean architectural elements create a well-balanced, almost minimalistic composition at the entrance.
Find an interior designer to help with the decor of your home
Find an interior designer to help with the decor of your home
The formal living room has a relaxing minimalist setting where the interplay of materials takes centrestage. The room also gives visitors a clear view of the greenery outside through the wood-framed windows, along with a peek of the inner courtyard. “The ceiling is clad in wood while the wall opposite the entrance door is finished in polished IPS with custom brass engraving along the left side. An indigo sofa adds a punch of colour to the space,” Prabhudessai says. The public spaces such as the kitchen, living and dining rooms, study and guest bedroom are on the ground floor, and the private bedrooms are upstairs.
Sofa: Gulmarg collection from Gulmohar Lane; flooring: Bharat Floorings; lighting: The Purple Turtles
Sofa: Gulmarg collection from Gulmohar Lane; flooring: Bharat Floorings; lighting: The Purple Turtles
Small yet significant elements make up the accessories in this room. Be it the curios on the coffee table, the leafy plant in the corner that energises the vibe of the room or the “Buddha sculpture made with ‘raku’ technique with half-opened eyes, curly hair and a smile, placed on a wood and metal pedestal,” Prabhudessai says.
Buddha sculpture: Clay Club
Find out how to accessorise your home right
Buddha sculpture: Clay Club
Find out how to accessorise your home right
“The living room opens to a stunning inner courtyard that is designed as a modern translation of the traditional aangan with a frangipani tree as the main feature set in bush-hammered granite. A jackfruit tree trunk serves as a bench while the antique mirrors add an artistic character to the bare white walls,” Prabhudessai says. The brightly patterned heritage tiles contribute to the classic look of the place and the skylight above floods the area with plenty of natural light, just like an open-to-sky traditional aangan
Looking to change your floors? Find flooring companies in our Houzz directory
Looking to change your floors? Find flooring companies in our Houzz directory
“The tree is a sculpture in itself. The idea was to create a space which allows people the freedom of imagination and allows them to interact with the surroundings. For instance, the tree throws different shadows through the day, making the visitors aware of the sun’s changing direction and eventually rendering the space completely dynamic,” Prabhudessai says.
Check out these 9 courtyards that soak up the sun
Check out these 9 courtyards that soak up the sun
A puja room is also situated on the ground floor, designed with dark flooring and white walls. The space is connected to the courtyard and has glass doors so it seems like a part of the aangan.
The cooking area is divided into two kitchens: one for full-scale Goan cooking and the other for small meals like breakfast. This dry kitchen is connected to the skylit frangipani courtyard, and enhanced with bright floor tiling that continues from there. “The dry kitchen represents a balance between the contemporary and vernacular style of architecture. The white minimalist look of the island counter and cabinets blends well with the vibrancy of the floor and the brick wall with its traditional Goan mother-of-pearl window that opens up views of the kitchen garden outside,” Prabhudessai says.
The main cooking space is separated from the dry kitchen, and is designed as a modern space that can accommodate heavy-duty cooking. “The horizontal glass slit above the counter offers views of the outdoors. The miscellaneous heritage-pattern backsplash tiles complement the sleek lines of the black under-counter storage and the lightness of the frosted glass above-counter cabinets,” Prabhudessai says.
The dining space is enclosed in a custom concrete jali, connected to the garden area. “The custom teakwood dining table complements the IPS-finished walls and the filler slab overhead. The L-shaped space is enhanced with tropical plants like Heliconia and Anthurium that contribute to the tropical charm of the space. What’s interesting is that the mood of the landscape changes with the weather outside, which is reflected through the intricately carved holes within the concrete jali,” Prabhudessai says.
Lights: Clay Club
Lights: Clay Club
The family room that doubles as a TV lounge has yellow flooring and a single red custom daybed with hidden storage.
“The staircase was revamped by replacing heavy wrought-iron railing with minimalist MS (mild steel) railings and a wooden hand rail,” Prabhudessai says. Next to the staircase is a screen made of thin strips of wood, which adds to the dynamism of the space.
See these 30 incredible staircase designs guaranteed to impress
See these 30 incredible staircase designs guaranteed to impress
This master bedroom is connected to a breakout space, enhanced with outdoor furniture. The light-brown wooden flooring is complemented by the dark-red IPS walls. The bed is settled inside a wood-panelled alcove, with a copper headboard that adds to the natural charm with its mild patina finish.
The second master bedroom upstairs resonates with a laid-back, luxurious vibe, thanks to the elegant vintage staples. “The room has a four-poster bed with LED lights installed on the ceiling. The hanging lamps, reminiscent of traditional lamps predominant in Goan churches and temples, throws light on the setup,” Prabhudessai says.
Also on the first floor is a guest bedroom with ensuite bathroom.
Take a look at 8 must-haves for designing a master bedroom
Read more:
Pune Houzz: Conventional Elements Make an Unconventional Home
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
Also on the first floor is a guest bedroom with ensuite bathroom.
Take a look at 8 must-haves for designing a master bedroom
Read more:
Pune Houzz: Conventional Elements Make an Unconventional Home
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
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Congratulations Ankit... A fantastic work... well done.
can you give a detail of the type of flooring used in the pictures?
Well done Ankit