Where History Meets Horticulture

SIAN Architects plant a creative new vision in a restored colonial-era home in Uttar Pradesh

- WORDS MALLIKA ADVANI

Flowers bloom inside and outside of Lal Kothi, a 4,500 sq ft historic home in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Built during the colonial era and once occupied by Urmila Shastri, a freedom fighter and niece of Jawaharlal Nehru, the redbrick house has long stood in conversation with its orchards, vegetable patches, and towering trees. Pomegranates, pears, marigolds, and hollyhocks shape the rhythm of life here, and when the Garg family moved in during the 1980s, they inherited this legacy. A few years ago, the family of five invited Surbhi Singhal and Deepanshu Arneja of SIAN Architects to reinterpret the estate's colonial bones through a contemporary Indian lens and bring the ephemeral beauty of the gardens indoors.

Earlier this year, the restoration was complete. "We started by honouring the period fixtures, the cornices, railings, and jaalis that carry its history," shares Surbhi, co-founder of SIAN. "Then, we layered in colours, motifs, and decorative touches that reflect the family's 'more is more' approach and artistic pursuits." With the architecture bridging together past and present, the home wears its heritage proudly, allowing its surroundings to flourish as both muse and motif.