Living with Nature

Flora designed by Mohammed Afnan and Arun Shekar Gowda of Humming Tree returns the reins of the body and mind rightfully to nature, creating a boutique stay within the green-swathed plantations of Vythiri in Kerala

- LAVANYA CHOPRA

It's a verdant dream, a free-flowing I conversation if you must between the thoughtfully carved out spaces and the lush tropical vegetation outside. This is not a coincidence. "We didn't want the property to stand out," says Arun Shekar Gowda. "We wanted it to blend in the context of the site." Located in the highlands of Vythiri, the property is surrounded by spice plantations, dense forests, a rugged landscape inhabited by wildlife and indigenous tribal communities. Its demeanour is a silent homage to Tropical Modernism while exploring an intuitively minimalistic approach.