Nestled amidst the lush green Guwahati hills, with scenic views this house with its clay based travertine stone facade accentuates the rawness of the building around nature.
Project Name : Geetanjali by the Mountains
Project Location : Guwahati, Assam, India
Project Area : 8,500 Sq. ft.
Architects/Designer : FOAID Designs
Project Status : Built
Photograph courtesy : FOAID Designs
Text description by the architects.
Geetanjali, by the mountains”, is nestled amidst the lush green Guwahati hills, making the views from the windows, balconies and terraces so captivating. The glass railings on the exteriors of the building are used to avoid any obstructions between the user and the view. The terrace deck is the family’s favorite hangout space to unwind into the surrounding nature. The furniture’s are kept minimal and rustic, with the latest cane woven technology improvised into modern outdoor furniture’s with stone travertine wall behind to create that perfect outdoor setting.
Geetanjali, by the mountains” is a three storied house, for a family of six. All the rooms are voluminous and breathe in the scenic beauty of Assam.
The central courtyard allows maximum light into the house. Internally all the rooms look out into this courtyard which has a vertical expanse of the two stories bringing in lots of light. The courtyard embraces a stone cladding wall with a tessellated wooden and metal mural. The space is accessorised with a large planter over a landscaped court. The railing detail design is coincided with the tessellation on the wall, with 3D triangular projections made of wood and finished with high quality paint.
The House was inspired largely by the nature that surrounds it. It was essential to bring in the nature from outside into the home – in the form of chandeliers, decorative accessories and furniture’s. This specific console was sourced from China as an art piece by itself. The console has a beautiful white floral etching throughout while the black color was a perfect match for the wenge veneer panels. Matching to the same are these white flakes Chandelier that add the touch of nature onto a simple ceiling highlighting a wide circulation space.
It makes a home for 8 members to conglomerate in the central informal living room, facing large double height spaces on both sides. This room marks as the most comfortable space of the home where all the members get together and have long discussions with ample of light and ventilation on all sides. The color palettes of the common areas are contrasting but subtle, keeping white as the base. The idea was to serve the taste of all members and combine it into a single living space. Fancy decorative lights, intricate partitions, a hint of wood and all the subtle tones are all thoughtfully curated into a single room.
Keeping in mind each and every family member’s requirement for their respective rooms, the team’s main objective was designing the house in totality to blend all the concepts together. The room has a large attached walk in wardrobe and toilet equalising to the size of the room. The main focus of the room is a large stone veneer cladded wall acting as a heading board. It is subtle and does not over power the rest of the accents in the room, making it the perfect neutral blender for the room. The furniture’s have been out sourced to create the perfect luxury setting for the eldest son of the house.
The Puja room was conceptualised in reference to the traditional Indian temple within the home. The entry is through a double height – open to sky green balcony that spans out into a smaller balcony connecting the first and second floor of the home. The entry way to the Puja room is made out of the first grade teak wood with 9 Tanjore art Goddesses that add value to a simple wooden door and decorative arch way. According to Indian tradition is very good to be welcomed into a space of worship by the goddesses themselves.
The exterior of “Geetanjali, by the mountains” is cladded with clay based travertine stone tiles to accentuate the rawness of the building around nature. This specific balcony is on the second floor, acting as a break out space from the bar and home theatre room of the house. On a cold night in Guwahti, this balcony is perfect setting to break away from your mundane routine to enjoy nature and its calling. The deck flooring keeps the balcony warm during the winter months and cozy during the summers.
PROJECT CREDITS
Architecture & Interior Design : FOAID Designs, Chennai
Principal Architect: Ekta Agarwal
Project Lead architect: Parul Agarwal
“Chennai-based FOAID Designs specializes in highly bespoke architectural and interior solutions, serving a wide range of residential and commercial clients across the city. Whether to better present a brand image or to express the vision and personality of a homeowner, no two sites are treated as alike. Renovations using innovative materials, custom-designed décor and Vaastu-compliance are some of the mainstays of the firm’s approach.” says principal architect Ekta Agarwal.
