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Jul 28, 2023

7 family homes steeped in traditional values and familial warmth

By AD Staff Family homes are more than just a composition of bricks and mortar. They become sanctuaries of cherished memories and shared laughter, a backdrop to the most intimate chapters of our

By AD Staff

Family homes are more than just a composition of bricks and mortar. They become sanctuaries of cherished memories and shared laughter, a backdrop to the most intimate chapters of our lives. Intangible memories weave through tangible form, transforming architecture into a vessel for shared heritage, traditional values and profound connections. In these 7 family homes curated from the archives of AD, ‘home’ is not only a physical space, but an emotional journey.

With help from Geeli Mitti and National Award-winning artist and researcher Lakhichand Jain, the two-storey Cob House in Badlapur features Mandana motifs in a circular setting. There are two things Kiran Amati has always been passionate about: playing guitar, and breaking free from the monopoly of corporate production. “I wanted to be free, and that meant producing everything I consumed,” expresses the Mumbai-based former automobile engineer, who quit his day job to be a stay-at-home dad in 2021. “Even when I was still working, I was always visiting farms, volunteering, attending permaculture workshops and things like that.”

Amati’s father, Prakash, owned a half-acre farm in Badlapur, 60km away from Mumbai. The father-son duo spent most weekends farming, and experimenting with dairy and cow dung products, including bioenzyme soaps and mosquito repellent coils. At some point on their produce-to-consume journey, Amati and his father chanced upon “Geeli Mitti,” an organisation in Nainital that leads workshops on natural buildings. Eventually, with the help of their mentors at Geeli Mitti and a group of enthusiastic volunteers, the two built their own Cob House on a four gunta plot opposite their Badlapur farm, using straw, clay, local soil, stone, cow dung, and lime. The two-storey circular house was then beautified with low bas-relief sculptures and murals in the Rajasthani folk tradition of Mandana, conceptualised by three-time national award-winning visual artist, designer and scholar, Lakhichand Jain. - Avantika Shankar

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

Architect and founder of Mangalore-based Hiraya Design Studio, Apeksha Naik’s 90-year-old family home is a typical Mangalore style villa. Located in a quiet residential area in Mangalore town, it was owned by her father’s paternal uncle. “Since my father was very attached to this villa, in 1987, my grandfather decided to buy it for his son. This is where my brother and I have grown up,” she shares.

Originally, the villa was constructed with mud walls (almost 1’ thick) and plastered with lime, egg and jaggery. The Mangalore-tiled roof which covered the structure ensured the interiors stayed cool. The slab above the ground floor, made of wooden rafters, was filled with mud over which red oxide flooring was laid. Earlier, the formal living had an open portico which formed a pleasant gathering place; but was eventually covered with grills for security reasons. - Deepa Nair

Also read: 4 beautiful colour palettes to try at home, according to colour psychologists

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

Interior designer Aditi Sharma carves a more private space on the terrace of a family bungalow that echoes the homeowners' lifestyle and personality. When Aditi's friends embarked on expanding their family, they, too, were looking for a place to call their own in their current family home in Noida. “They wanted a fully functional space with everything thought through, from a small nursery for a baby and a home office to a bar, fully equipped kitchen and pantry. This space was meant to be a comfortable spot they could retreat to at any time of the day from the main house,” she recalls.

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

“This home reflects two different personalities,” Sharma describes as she looks back on her journey designing the apartment. “The focus was to use interesting furniture pieces which would stand out in simple surroundings. Being a second living space, we could play around with an open-plan layout—making it a free-flowing space. But, we also designed the apartment with every amenity so that this could be used as a fully equipped home in the future,” she muses. - Ela Das

When a family of four approached ARK Architecture Studio to design their Kerala home, it needed to incorporate elements of the region's traditional architecture, given its proximity to the sacred Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. One look at the house and you’ll see plenty of these—verandahs or thinais as they’re colloquially known, green courtyards near bedrooms reminiscent of agraharams or traditional Brahmin settlements and an ample display of typical vernacular style.

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

Perhaps, in keeping with the traditional way of living, this family too is very close-knit. The design team’s observation was that the family was very extroverted and often engaged in loud banter across rooms. “The residence was designed in sync with their lifestyle, providing spaces where conversations could flow seamlessly. The spatial planning of the house evolved from the basic idea of looping the common and private areas while keeping this concept intact,” say Rahul Kumar and Malavika Mahesh, principal architects, Ark Architecture Studio. - Shweta Vepa Vyas

Also read: 5 Indian homes where minimal black–and–white decor crafts monochrome magic

This home in Pune designed by Studio TAB blends the owners’ South Indian heritage seamlessly into the local architectural milieu. Rahul Das Menon and Ojas Chaudhari, principal architects at Studio TAB were clear that their design was going to steer clear of any copy-paste aesthetics. “Although the clients wanted Kerala inserts, in our reckoning, the apartment couldn’t be a Kerala home in Pune,” says Chaudhari. “There is no loud décor, but we did want to explore intrinsically Indian design.”

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

At the very entrance of the 2,000-square-foot two-bedroom apartment, blue tiles emulate Tamil Nadu's famous Athangadi flooring. “Replicating a kolam design, the home state of the owners is recalled in a subtle reminder of the floor decoration in rice-flour paste, deftly executed by women of the household at their doorstep. This welcoming and auspicious gesture is a traditional sign of invitation to greet all into the home, not the least of whom is the goddess of prosperity and wealth. In millions of households, women draw kolams in front of their home entrance every day at the break of dawn. - Devyani Jayakar

Designed by Studio One by Zero for a retired couple, this home celebrates nature and recalls nostalgic memories reminiscent of the client's childhood home. In this simple home, there are no surface treatments, cladding or ornamentation. Brick is brick and concrete is concrete. “The clients were certain that they wanted exposed brick…the juxtaposition of concrete is our contribution,” says Kavya Rajendra of Studio One by Zero. “A need to go back to their roots and live on a farm just like their grandparents was a perfect move for retirement.” The brief detailed a two-bedroom farmhouse with eco-conscious and vernacular building elements. Rajendra’s interpretation was to create a sense of nostalgia while ensuring that the design is contemporary and timeless, with the brick ageing organically over time.

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

The entrance of the house has a cantilevered slab which provides ample protection from the sun, without hampering the breeze that flows through the property. The filler roof in the living room provides a great thermal insulation layer because of the air pockets formed, ensuring that air-conditioning is almost never needed. This space overlooks the courtyard; its grey oxide flooring with granite inlays and strips of 4mm glass prevent cracks from appearing. The character of the house is enhanced with wooden and brass antiques that have been sourced from different parts of Tamil Nadu. “A nine-foot wooden and glass door leads to the dining area. The use of Athangudi tiles from Karaikudi add a traditional essence to the space,” explains Rajendra. - Devyani Jayakar

Sona Reddy Design Studio creates a lush green sanctuary that fondly nods to the past and present in equal measure. During festivals, Deepti Kolla’s childhood home would take on a life of its own. Someone would take charge of the muggu (traditional rangoli), another of the mango leaf torans. Every year, the roles would keep rotating—save for one, reserved for her grandmother alone. “She took pride in decorating our central pillar with garlands of jasmine and chrysanthemum,” Kolla reflects. Today, in her home in Hyderabad—where she lives with her husband, Sreecharan Atluri, and their four-year-old twins—a version of that pillar lives on, as does the memory of her beloved grandmother.

By Ashna Lulla

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By the time architect Sona Reddy, founder and principal of her eponymous Hyderabad-based studio, took on the design reins, the structure was complete, and the floor and wall treatments were in place. “I’m not a fan of pulling things out for no rhyme or reason, so we decided to work with what we had,” recalls Reddy. Kolla never forgot about her grandmother's pillar. After discussing the idea of bringing in an antique column to represent it, Reddy proposed something even better: a contemporary installation that held a mirror to the original. So was born the idea of a custom totem embellished with Channapatna-style lacquer balls inspired by her grandmother's flowers. It was neither old nor new, but it was decidedly permanent—emblematic, no doubt, of the unwavering bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter. - Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar