A slice of the mediterranean in Hyderabad

Beautiful Homes (BH): What kind of space was the client looking for?

Padmini Pandey (PP): This house was for a well-travelled young couple looking to build a holiday home on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The homeowners wanted a very Mediterranean aesthetic, luxurious but understated, with an earthy vibe.

BH: What was the extent of your intervention and how did you interpret this client requirement?

PP: We have done the entire architecture, landscape, lighting and interior for the project. Everything was done from scratch, right from planning the furniture details to the design stage. This has ensured a cohesive language between the exterior and the interior—every element of the architecture and interior design is in dialogue with each other. As far as interpreting the brief goes, while we stayed with the overarching Mediterranean-style aesthetic that the client wanted, we gave it a very local flavour.

As a studio, context is very important in the way we design. We essentially took the sensibilities of Mediterranean-style architecture and made it our own, making it relevant to the local context. Though the structure and the basic concept is Mediterranean we have used local materials, local design language and local sensibilities to adapt it to the location it belongs to which is Hyderabad. We sourced materials from different parts of the country—Nagaland, Puducherry, Kerala and some from Rajasthan as well.

BH: How did you plan the layout and space configuration of the house? Did the location play a significant role in the design?

PP: This is almost 20,000 square feet—two storeys and a basement with a lounge bar and entertainment area. Location was a very important factor. There were other houses surrounding this piece of land so the view wasn’t great. To counter that, we created an introverted plan with a courtyard and centred the views of all the rooms around the courtyard. So even though you are right amid so many bungalows, the views you get are of the courtyard. This also helps from the perspective of the weather and helps to keep the place cool.

The idea was that when you enter a house, one would see the view across the courtyard. It was meant to be a sort of surprise element and that was perfectly framed by the large arched picture window did exactly that. Additionally, that curved architectural form worked well with the Mediterranean concept. It’s almost a statement of architectural intervention among the other linear and straight lines.

BH: What was the nature of the collaboration with Beautiful Homes Service?

PP: Beautiful Homes Service has contributed largely, especially when it came to the paint—exterior and interior. We wanted to go with textured paints and we had a lot of area to cover, given the size of the house. Asian Paints had exactly what we needed. For the interiors, we used their AP Royale Play Calcecruda paint. That worked well from a climate point of view and to get the vibe we wanted. They were able to deliver exactly what we had in mind and that was key in helping us achieve our vision. All the fabrics were also sourced from Asian Paints.

Additionally, we turned to Sleek Kitchens by Asian Paints for one of the three kitchens that we created for the house. The front-facing one is more of a causal family spot where the entire family or friends congregate and cook up a quick meal. The main kitchen at the back is the Sleek Kitchen. That’s where all the main cooking and prepping takes place. A third one is outdoors and that’s mostly for the washing, cleaning, and masala pounding.

BH: How did you choose the materials and the furniture?

PP: The concept, location and budget were responsible for the material selection. Everything we chose had to work in the local temperature and climate. We consciously chose raw materials, like local stone, so there was a connection with nature. This was to counter the lack of nature surrounding the plot.

Our studio designed the furniture. We treated each object as an individual project. Almost nothing is off the shelf.

BH: This house has some very interesting highlights, especially the canoe. How did that become part of the design plan?

PP: The client found it on one of his trips to Kerala, fell instantly in love and wanted it in the house. I loved its rawness and authenticity. Beyond that, however, there was an emotional pull the client had for it. I wanted to make it a part of the house and bring that emotion into the space. The best location for it is where it currently sits—part of the circulation space near the sunken seating area, acting like a separator but not blocking anyone’s view. It is a great conversation starter with a wonderful personal story attached to it.

BH: How important were the lighting choices to achieve the look you were aiming for?

PP: Lighting makes or breaks a project. I always say good things in a bad light can look bad, but even an ordinary object in good lighting can look lovely. Decorative lights were sourced from different parts of the world and India; some were also custom-designed. The uplighters, downlighters, and wall washers were all consciously chosen to align with the design. We tried to keep the general lights as minimal and as invisible as possible.

BH: What was the experience like working with Beautiful Homes Service? Was it the first time?

PP: It’s always a lovely experience. We have worked together on many projects and it’s always a pleasure. They are ever ready to do samplings and R&D. That’s exactly what an architect needs. And our collaboration has always been result-oriented.