The Secret Garden House by M.O.A | Unbox Stories

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Project Name: THE SECRET GARDEN HOUSE
Architecture Firm: MONASTERY OF ARCHITECTURE

Email: [email protected]
Firm Location: CHEVAYUR, CALICUT, KERALA, INDIA
Project Location: CALICUT, KERALA, INDIA
Principal Architect: Sujith G.S




THE SECRET GARDEN HOUSE

Hi, I'm Sujith. G.S, the Principal of Monastery of Architecture. And this is my home in Calicut which I’ve designed. We are a small family of 4…my wife Srilakshmy, an elder son, and a younger daughter. Both of us are single kids..so our parents also come and stay with us intermittently.

We wanted a home filled with natural light, caressed by the wind and surrounded by green. We wanted our kids to grow up around nature. and that’s the base from which the design evolved. The house is essentially a series of sheltered spaces which open out into the landscape. And it is highly contextual, growing out of the challenges of the site.

THE SITE;
We fell in love with this compact 8 cent plot which was unique…it had a lot of great trees with wonderful tall canopies. The plot sloped down from the road…Was almost 2.7m below at the rear end. So instead of filling this up to the level of the road, the design made use of that level difference. Some of the earth towards the rear was cut and that was filled up in the front area. So essentially one enters the house from the upper level and comes down. What this created was a very private space at the lower level which opened into what we like to call our Secret Garden.

All the spaces look out into the green. Large openings allow visual transparency. Proper orientation and shading allow the spaces to be thermally comfortable. While I was constructing the house, a lot of people, including family had asked me why I didn’t cut off the trees on-site as they were not valuable. I always said that each tree is valuable in its own way. And I had to take a lot of care to ensure that the trees were protected during construction. And today all of those people understand. The house is shaded throughout the day – except for maybe a couple of hours from 12 to 2 in the afternoon. The spaces are comfortable to be in..and there's always a constant play of light and shadows

I am someone who believes that each material has an inherent beauty to it. So the material palette is a combination of multiple textures – from exposed rubble walls to exposed concrete slabs to unplastered cement block walls to natural stone flooring. They combine well with the surrounding green creating subtle variations in the spaces.
We’ve used a lot of reclaimed wood in the interiors…including some of the furniture, counters, etc.

I and my wife, both of us love old accessories. you will find used elements littered around the house…they all tell so many stories…Also, a lot of the accessories and indeed plants that are in the house are collected from our travels…so in essence, they hold a lot of meaning for us…each one a little memory of a part of our life…I think that is important in any house.

I always yearn for simplicity in my designs…I strive to create comfortable, spaces that are luxurious in their own way, without unnecessary bells and whistles.
I also believe that a good design is one that grows and evolves along with its inhabitants. So there is a certain amount of flexibility that has to be there.

The sit-out is one of the most used spaces in our house. It is just a simple covered space that is open on all sides, looking out into the green. Filtered morning sunlight creates a wonderful mood in that space. The built-in Charupadi is deliberately wide so that one can fold his legs and sit. It's also a great spot for an afternoon nap…you don’t even need a fan… this sit-out also serves as a formal living room for entertaining guests who don’t need to come inside the house.

Inside, the living-dining is one continuous space with a transparent staircase behind it. The continuous balcony allows one to step outside and enjoy the garden below. It also provides protection from the sun and the rain.
The master bedroom opens out into the garden
The private living below acts as an extension of our Secret Garden…it’s a great space to curl up with a book and entertain friends…or to simply enjoy the rain.
The terrace always reminds me of a monumental room with an extraordinarily high ceiling. The high tree canopies create that effect…and it’s a constantly changing ambiance…always shaded except for those 2 hours in the afternoon.