URBAN SANCTUARY

Cheerful interactive zones filled with natural light and outdoor views, Ar. Mahesh designs a contemporary home for a young family in Thiruvananthapuram.

- Mridula Sharma

When Gayathri and Suhas decided to move from an apartment to an independent house, the biggest issue that arose was about finding an appropriate sized plot in the heart of the city. Their girls were growing up and while they didn’t want to lose the physical closeness that comes with living in an apartment, yet they definitely wanted to move into a more spacious accommodation.

For architect-designer N. Mahesh the brief was to create a spacious house with manicured lawns and a lot of greenery. The family wanted interactive spaces, well designed and suitably tailored to sync with their lifestyle. “The plan had to accommodate formal and informal living areas and five large bedrooms with wall-to-wall wardrobes; bathrooms had to have greenery, skylights and patios.

They also required large back-of-house areas to accommodate staff quarters, HVAC systems, parking for five to six luxury cars and a laundry set-up, with external access to the basement area. And all this had to look good and be easy on maintenance and housekeeping. Not exactly a small order,” smiles Mahesh.