Location : Panaiyur, ECR
Architect : Xavier Benedict
Open, airy, green, and with an ambience that radiates natural gaiety and peace, the Rajans' residence with split-level roofs makes for a great home.
Little wonder, they Rajans don't mind commuting from afar to live here. The house is set far back on the grounds, behind a lovely lawn and a multitude of trees and shrubs, for the Rajans were particular that 70 per cent of the area be reserved for the garden.
Walk down the curving stone trail, and you step up into a foyer (with windows that run wall to wall) that overlooks the garden on three sides.
A little further, you get to walk over a glass plank placed over a water body that teems with schools of multi-coloured fish.
This leads to a luminous, partly open-roofed lobby (with shutter options for rainy days).
The lobby opens up towards the right into a living room cordoned off by frosted glass. To the left is the open kitchen and dining area.
A trail of steps leads to a pool in the backyard, while another takes you to the rooms on the first floor.
The second floor is devoted to a cosy den-TV room combo, which opens into the terrace. “We wanted a modern outlook for the house,” says Rajan, a chartered accountant. The white tone of the walls and the floors accentuates the sense of openness.
With the sea hardly 300 mts away, the Rajans wake up every day to the sound of waves, the first rays of the morning sun, unpolluted air, soothing greenery and a delightful orchestra of birdcall and the squeaking of squirrels.
