The Hills are Alive

Inspired by the Californian farmhouse aesthetic, Nain Belliappa has designed this dreamy bungalow in a coffee plantation in Chikkamagaluru

- WORDS VARUNI MOHAN

On a 50-acre coffee estate in Chikkamagaluru stands a 6,500 sq ft bungalow that feels as though it has always belonged to the land. Designed by Nain Belliappa of Houseof9Design, the single-storey home tucks four bedrooms and long verandas beneath a low, pitched roof. “After spending twenty years with their parents, the couple wanted a place of their own — still close, but tuned to the rhythms of a smaller family,” Nain recalls. The owners first spotted Nain’s work on social media and encouraged by mutual contacts, invited her to design their home. The brief carried a gentle dual purpose: a practical base for the present and a legacy for the future. “The house had to serve them now and, one day, their daughters,” she explains. A family room with a fireplace anchors daily life, while a second, smaller living space faces the deck,