Spectacular views and quirky décor spotlight a contemporary Kochi home

OF A COLLABORATIVE NATURE

“We have an understanding; I handle the big picture, the lines, the architectural elements, the negative spaces. Annah looks at colours contrasts, textures and objects,” explains Kurishingal. It’s a division of labour that serves them well, given that the founder and director of online crafts-focused store Annahmol with an “emphasis on upcycled and the artisanal”, has a deep appreciation for craft and is a passionate collector—of literally anything that catches her eye. These differences became the foundation for the design of this apartment. The colours and textures, therefore, were all Chakola while the big picture had the Kurishingal stamp. In his meticulous hands, the spatial framework stayed contemporary, architecturally sound and completely neutral.

“This was a standard layout apartment with all these added-on flourishes. For us, it was about removing them, because there is such a beautiful view and the focus is on trying to see how to maximise that,” explains Chakola about the four-bedroom that the couple converted into a three-bedroom-plus-library. “When you have a fabulous view and you try to create alcoves and shrink it, you are losing out on bringing some of that nature indoors. You know straight lines work so those things we tend to leave alone. Some design principles are there for a reason because they work,” adds Kurishingal.

“Each piece here has a story. We don’t collect things with the idea of decorating a space; we just pick up stuff because we like it,” says Chakola. Like a piece of driftwood that they found while walking on the beach. “This beautifully weathered piece was stuck in the sand, which we were pulling out to take back with us. Suddenly, a fisherman runs up to us and tells us they use it to tie their boats. He gave it to us though, when he saw the effort we took to remove it!” recalls Kurishingal. It was in their warehouse for almost seven years before they stuck it into a pot to grow plants on. “Even if we find stuff it could be lying around for years before we find a place for it. I have a warehouse full of things we’ve scoured over the years.”