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Being from one place and living in another is a fate unwittingly bestowed upon many urban dwellers, whose jobs, fortunately or unfortunately, keep them tethered to the pace and frenzy of big-city life. It was no different for one Bengaluru couple, Malayalis by heritage, not birth, whose upbringing across various Indian cities left them yearning to reconnect with their roots—at least mentally. They reflected on their calling through conversation and contemplation; then, still feeling none the wiser, they took their reflection to Instagram, where they ultimately found enlightenment in the form of a rare account: Aanai Design Studio. Its earthy ethos, displayed in little square posts, instantly reminded them of their roots.
Pockets of Green
As bona fide Bengalureans, the couple—who have a teenage son and a college-age daughter, both raised in Bengaluru—sought to create an oasis amidst the city's trill and traffic. By the time they contacted Gayathri Padmam of Aanai Design Studio, they were the proud owners of a verdant parcel of land in Sarjapur, an idyllic location for the retreat of their dreams. In Padmam’s eyes, the plot was great—figuratively, not spatially. Maximising the available space was a top priority, as was maintaining the light quality throughout the bungalow in Bengaluru. To ensure minimal barriers, Padmam devised an open-plan concept for the common areas and kept the bedrooms simple and functional. “This helped us enhance the flow of spaces better,” she notes. She also sought to bring the outdoors in wherever possible—through sweeping windows from the sides, and a central stairwell skylight and tall windows on the midlandings above—to fill the home with layers of golden light.
Also read: This 3,500-square-foot bungalow in Kerala’s Karunagappally is an oasis in nature
Kerala Calling
Padmam didn’t just create an oasis; she created one that harkened back to Kerala. Mentally, she checked out of the city and into the Alleppey backwaters, cladding the facade in laterite, enlivening the car park roof with filler slabs, and adorning the foyer with earthen pots. She also crowned the roof with a mix of flat slab and Mangalore tiles, another nod to Kerala architecture, and used predominantly Kota stone flooring—assorted yellow on the ground floor and blue on the upper levels—in a leather finish. For the skirting and staircase, Padmam chose Jaisalmer stone and black granite, respectively, creating a striking contrast with the tropical flooring. According to Padmam, the shell was designed to evoke an earthy simplicity, as were the windows and doors, crafted from solid wood—some featuring jali work—to complement the soft white walls.
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Also read: This bungalow in Karnataka’s Kundapur reimagines the ancestral home that stood before it
Resplendent in Nature
It’s a good thing Padmam runs her own furniture company, because when it came to the furniture, she was able to bring her designs to life exactly as she imagined them. From the beds and nightstands in the bedrooms to the antique-style sofas and ottoman with hand-block-printed upholstery in the living room, everything was designed and fabricated by Tusker Katha, an indigenous furniture studio she founded with her partner, Nikhil Haridas, in 2022. For Padmam, whose interior design firm is known for its India Modern approach, the vernacular aesthetic came naturally, which explains why the kitchen feels like a modern take on your grandmother’s, with timber finishes, clean quartz counters, and minimal fuss. What your grandmother—or mine—might not have had, though, is an open-plan design, which Padmam incorporated to create the illusion of more space. She used colour sparingly, introducing it through a custom Olie pendant above the breakfast counter, elegant artwork in the primary suite, and fabric wardrobe inlays in the children’s bedrooms, along with flowering plants on the second-floor balcony. “In the evenings, one can sit here and look at the coconut trees and peacocks—it’s the perfect way to end the day,” she says—today and every day.
