Compact, sweet home fuses contemporary design with traditional architecture

Any house made with a lot of love will always be special. This story is also about one such sweet home.

Sasikumar, his wife Shobha, and their children Siddharth and Shweta found a place to build a house in Madapalli near Changanassery. Kerala. The whole family wanted a single-storey house with sufficient air and light.

Four large bedrooms with attached bathrooms and ample scope for privacy are fitted into the layout of this home. Guests enter the foyer by opening the main door to the porch-like sitting area. Formal living is set to the left of the foyer. Daylight fills the interiors through the pergola roof of the small courtyard.

The family living and TV hall built behind the courtyard also become an interactive space for family members. A small pooja room is also included right next to it.

Now comes the fascinating dining hall cum open kitchen area of this house. The long hall to the left of the courtyard is flooded with daylight from the east through a large UPVC window. Outside that glass window, there is an outer courtyard full of indoor plants.

The design features a utility staircase with access to the terrace between the open kitchen and work area and a store underneath. The flat roof is lined with GI-trussed roof tiles. The terrace area is almost entirely occupied by utility/store space. A slant shade is provided around the perimeter of the house to protect against both rain and heat. The house is a blend of Kerala traditional style and modern style architecture.

A spacious porch set back from the house is also compactly located in the three-dimensional view of the house from the front. For those who are travelling by the side of the road and to those who are visiting the house, this 2780 sq ft house is a sight for sore eyes.