Local and international flavours permeate the three storeys and 4,000-square-feet of this part-rustic, part-minimal residence, located mere 300 metres from the ocean and a comfortable 20 kilometres from the city centre. Designed for a family of four (a husband-wife duo and their two pet dogs) by Chennai-based studio Souk, it imbibes the spirit of a quintessential weekend getaway. Souk founder and curator Soumya Keshavan sheds light on the couple’s vision for their two-bedroom space. “Our brief was ‘simple, basic, and beachy’. It needed to be both contemplative and social; a place for entertaining friends and spending time with family.”

The Outdoors

Plans for an outdoor swimming pool were swapped for a more pet-friendly garden with a smaller water body. “We knew we had to embrace the outdoors and keep the visual landscape connected to the greenery outside on every floor,” says Keshavan who made sure that the spaces inside opened up to the outlying terrace or shaded courtyard.

Common Areas

An eclectic mood defines the ground floor living room. From the foyer’s Oscar Niemeyer Marquesa bench replica to the living room’s Borneo carved-roof gable and oriental scroll table, this level is marked by culturally diverse decor curated under an overarching “modern beach vibe”. The living room also houses a bookshelf, presumably kept simple and white-washed to “retain the building’s overall minimalist look and feel”.

Study

The lower level features a study area that doubles as an additional guest room and holds masonry furniture reminiscent of Sri Lankan island aesthetic. Keeping its fixed elements to a minimum, it carries only a built-in study, a day bed and a coffee table, thereby complying with the house’s open floor plan that invites “the natural light and ever-present breeze to sweep through the interiors”.

Informal Living Room

The larger informal living space on the second floor is rife with diverse art, artefacts, and kilims punctuated by a no-fuss backdrop of clear white walls and river-finished Kota flooring. Chairs upholstered in specially-dyed North African henna textiles, Balinese baskets, and Sulawesi wall panels with geometric vegetable-dyed etchings, this living room highlights the importance of mixed styles and textures in establishing depth and diverse visual language.

Kitchen and Dining

Both areas, originally intended as adjacent spaces now lie separate, with the dining unit newly moved to the canopy-flanked terrace. The home’s warm interior palette is further emphasised in the tropical wood and cane dining furniture chosen for its ability “to blend into the structure of the house and keep the floor plan as uncluttered as possible.”

Bedrooms

Main attractions of the guest bedroom include a custom-made curved-back cane bed and a rare Barmer kilim rug at its foot. The principal furniture in the master bedroom is built in masonry—another key motif popular around the house. Theses spaces also display pieces from the client’s collection namely Wood’n Design and Heritage Blend Studio.

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