Subtle Synergies

The modern and contemporary design of The Vastu House in Mysore — designed by Thomas Parambil Architects — is warm and comfortable.    

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Justin Sebastian, courtesy Thomas Parambil Architects

The site

The Vastu House designed by Thomas Parambil Architects is located in the calm and upmarket area of Gokulam in Mysore city. This site of 70’x70’ has its entrance facing north. The house has access to wide roads, and the entire street lined up with mature trees forming a canopy.

The brief

“The client’s wanted the architects to adhere to Vastu in every aspect of the house. They also wanted the space to be traditional in its approach and modern in its appearance,” informs Thomas.

The design intent

The design team’s approach consisted of juxtaposing modernism with a bit of contemporaneity. The elevation is a perfect tease of lines, putting the extent of the site in the spotlight. It seamlessly blends into the culture-rich streetscape. The aesthetic facade, coupled with strategically placed screens creates a delightful visual balance. The interiors posed the task of positioning key elements to harmonise energy flow while staying true to Vastu.

The spatial configuration

On entering the house, one is drawn to the courtyard — it connects the foyer, living and dining spaces. The double-height courtyard establishes a sense of coherence between the two levels of the house. Filled with sunlight from the skylight above, and the numerous plants placed here, the courtyard is a calming green space. A wood cladding ceiling complete with a transition of varying heights is the highlight of the dining room, which is given a break from the rest of the house, with a screen and plenty of plants. A walk up the stairs lead to the bedrooms, tailor-made to suit their occupants’ personalities.  The terrace extends gracefully from the first floor.

The material palette

Jaisalmer natural stone flooring in combination with white-dominated walls, perfectly balances with greys and blues, creating a design ecosystem that doubles up as a repository of art. The Kota stone flooring and perforated pivot screens create a secluded spot for a bar. The son’s room brings to life a beige and brown colour palette. The master maintains a perfect equilibrium of green and grey, exuding a rooted, earthy, and almost meditative calm.

The challenges

“Maintaining the square plan as per vastu and carefully constructing an elevation without uneven projections, while retaining absolute visual appeal — was one of the challenges that we rose to, during this project,” says Thomas.

The highlights

The star feature of The Vastu House according to the design team is most definitely the courtyard’s patterned skylight which invites ample natural light. It puts on a show of patterned shadows on the wall, dictated by the movement of the sun, making it a zestful addition to the house. Another highlight is in the daughter’s bedroom — an unusual balcony space, that utilises the slab of the ground floor roof extension as flooring, and is synonymous with a floating balcony.

Fact file

Project: The Vastu House
Location: Mysore, Karnataka
Area: 6,000 sq ft
Principal architect: Thomas Parambil
Design team: Tanvi Maru
Stylist: Iesha Parekh