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There is nothing more comforting than curling up with a hot cup of coffee while looking at snow-capped mountains. Step into an idyllic hillside escape with AD's picks for the most serene, rustic, and beautiful mountain homes of India.
A Homestay in Himachal Pradesh Built in Kath-Kuni Architectural Style
If you’ve ever roamed any Himalayan hinterland, or stopped by to admire a homestay in Himachal Pradesh, you've likely at some point encountered a Kath-Kuni structure; although whether you registered it as such is altogether a different matter. Made of alternating layers of wood and stone, and cemented together sans mortar, the indigenous construction technique is writ large across homes and temples dotting the high ground, as much in the Himachal village of Jari as any of its sleepy neighbouring hamlets. “They look like little hilly outgrowths,” says architect Avinash Joshy, whose latest project involved reimagining a structure into a contemporary nature-facing retreat.
Joshy took cues from existing architectural features, including the stone applications and wooden supports, as well as the natural mud plaster walls. “We reused a lot of wood and stone from some abandoned buildings on the property,” he shares. The furniture is a compelling case in point. Fabricated by Kerala-based furniture company Formave, much of it—including the legs of the round table in the corridor and the console in the lounge—is fabricated from wooden offcuts found discarded around the property.
Text by Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar; Edited by Khushi Sheth
An English-Style Cottage Home in Mussoorie
This is one of the most beautiful mountain homes of the country. For the owners, it is a place to put their feet up in a hideout away from the dust and grime of the national capital. Spread over 5,000-square-feet of area and two floors, the home welcomes you with a sprawling garden with the most spectacular mountain view. The garden has a walking path all around the property, an outdoor bar and a barbecue station. And for when the evenings begin to get a little too chilly, there is a separate enclosure with a semi-circular stone sit-out area around a fireplace.
You’d imagine Snow White to be living in such a cottage with seven bedrooms for the seven dwarves, each with a balcony opening to the view of the mountains beyond, and two shared living and dining spaces for everyone to assemble in. “Natural brick floor with wooden ceiling and vintage wrought iron coat stands to highlight the space and add to the old-world charm,” say architect Aditi Sharma.
Text by Arshia; Edited by Khushi Sheth
A Renovated British-Era House
Perched on an inclination, sloping steeply from town's main road, is a cosy and warm second home in Landour—the updated and repurposed avatar of a 150-year-old, British-era mission house. Rejuvenated as it is, the home’s wonderful cosiness, birthed from a tasteful deployment of art, textiles, decorative lights and wood, echoes its vintage past mellifluously. “The brief,” say Heena Handa and Aashna Chaudhry of New Delhi-based architecture, interiors and styling firm EDC Space, “was to develop a functional, warm and inviting holiday home in Landour for three generations of a family—comfortable for all and resonating with the value of each group.”
The sunroom, the first room you encounter as you step inside this hillside haven, is a long hall featuring a line of original structural columns. Its name is justified by the extensive glazed windows and skylights that invite the tender mountain sun and the incredible views of the Himalayan inside; one energising the space with its effulgence, the other with its divine beauty. Two doorways lead from the sunroom to the dining room and the family lounge. The latter, in turn, takes you to the master bedroom, while the dining opens into to a central foyer which connects two more bedrooms, a powder room and the kitchen.
Text by Rupali Sebastian; Edited by Khushi Sheth
A Rustic Mountain Home With Bohemian Accents
When Rohan Thakur (Ronnie) describes the eight months (and time leading up to it) he, his wife Bharati Bahrani (Barty) and their interior designer Sherab Zangmo Tharbus, spent working on their 1,500-square-foot Manali home, his voice is emotion-filled. Almost as if echoing the raison d'etre of its filmmaker residents, the home doesn’t just speak, it emotes. Sherab, founder and principal designer of TharbusDesigns, takes us on a tour of the home she describes as having, “One of the most confusing concept stages I have experienced. Ronnie wanted a rustic Himalayan home with wooden aesthetics, Barty was all out with her bright Bohemian aesthetic.”
The initial brief focused on a space that blended the rustic-Bohemian aesthetic with their functional needs. The design styles may sound different but as Sherab explains, “There are overlapping elements — both styles are very unfinished with so much character and both use lots of natural materials.” Teal is used in abundance in the living room walls, against the wooden ceiling and wall to balance the colours while orange and reds were used in the kitchen-dining area where cabinets are blue. This balanced ethos is seen throughout, with the use of Deodar and Rye wood and orange and teal accents uniting the spaces. Terracotta appears in the kitchen, adding to the earthy natural feel.
Text by Chandini Sehgal; Edited by Khushi Sheth
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