Kerala Houzz: Corten Steel & Greenery Define This Home's Design

Through this home, LIJO.RENY.architects do a study on opening up row houses to the outdoors

Aditi Sharma Maheshwari 12 November 2018

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The client’s old family house in Kerala was dingy and ill-ventilated, and stood on a plot of land that had been divided between two brothers. The elder brother had got the front section of the plot. After setting aside a strip of ground for access to the younger brother’s property at the rear, what remained was a narrow piece of land. “It is for this land and context that we designed ‘the breathing wall residence’. The plot was narrow, with a public lane to the west, a road on the north, a house that abuts the boundary on the south and the client’s younger brother’s residence at the back,” say Reny Lijo and Lijo Jos of LIJO.RENY.architects

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two daughters
Location: Thrissur, Kerala
Year built: 2015
Size: 204 square metres (2200 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
Architectural and interior designers: Reny Lijo and Lijo Jos of LIJO.RENY.architects

Photos by Praveen Mohandas, Suneesh Suresh
Photographs courtesy LIJO.RENY.architects

LIJO.RENY.architects

The property facing the main road is also exposed to the harsh western sun. So, it was necessary to create a facade that would be secure, robust, resistant to the harsh tropical weather and perforated to facilitate the much-needed ventilation. “We decided to design a ‘breathing wall’ structure, using corten steel, which would be porous, aesthetically pleasing and also provide ample privacy. The compound gate, made in mild steel, is a combination sliding and pivoting gate,” says Lijo.

LIJO.RENY.architects

On the ground floor are the living room, dining room and guest bedroom; upstairs are all the private rooms and a family area.

The living room is a neutral space enhanced with soft-toned furniture and graphic art. “The furniture in this home is a combination of
carefully selected pieces from different places, as well some that are custom designed. Our residential projects are far from the usual curated interiors – we believe spaces need to be more designed than decorated. Getting the right lighting, ventilation and structure is of utmost importance,” Reny says.

Here’s how to achieve the perfect living room layout

LIJO.RENY.architects

“There’s a reason we chose to have a double-height living room. When you walk into a narrow property, you would imagine entering small rooms and slim spaces. The double-height in the living room creates a sense of relief and wonder. Also, the glass windows and the greenery from outside make the room look like a large, airy, welcoming space,” says Lijo.

LIJO.RENY.architects

The atrium in the centre is enriched with greenery and pebbles – the living room is at one end and the dining room and guest bedroom at the other.

These atriums encourage calm, breezy living

LIJO.RENY.architects

The corten steel facade adds a hint of rusticity to the interiors and creates an indoor-outdoor connection.

LIJO.RENY.architects

The dining room features artworks designed by the architect duo. “A sliding door made with toughened glass helps keep a free-flowing layout here,” says Reny.

LIJO.RENY.architects

“The staircase, which is the central spine of the home, is made in a mild steel frame with wooden panelling,” says Lijo. Along each floor, greenery is added to keep the home connected with the outdoors.

Check out these incredible staircase designs

LIJO.RENY.architects

Upstairs, the family room is kept open at one side to borrow light from the central courtyard. “Here, too, we’ve added sliding doors to the room so that the space doesn’t look closed in and small. The walls are kept white, so more light can reflect in the area,” Lijo says.

LIJO.RENY.architects

The master bedroom is a soft-toned space where “the attention is drawn towards the exteriors via the large windows and away from the room’s small square footage,” Reny says.

LIJO.RENY.architects

The daughters’ shared bedroom has a tiny courtyard of its own with plants. “The corten steel facade here acts as a functional and accent feature for the room,” Lijo says.

LIJO.RENY.architects

“It was difficult to know if it was day or night or, for that matter, rain or sunshine, inside the client’s previous dingy home that stood on this site. The design of this project was developed as a prototype for narrow plots – by using minor openings on the south and north in this project and through materiality, we opened it up to light, ventilation and greenery,” says Reny.