A Thrissur home dipped in Kerala culture and traditions

Temple Town builds a traditional Nalukettu home, and fills it with vintage artworks, old hand carved doors and windows, handpicked accessories, gorgeous furnishings and bespoke murals to craft a memory-filled home for an NRI client.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Justin Sebastian; courtesy Temple Town

The brief

Located in a quaint neighbourhood close to a temple at Thrissur, the Nalukettu project is a residential unit built for a three generational family. This 5,000-square-foot home stands on a plot of land the client had inherited from her father. The client assigned Meera Pyerelal the founder of the popular interior design and lifestyle products brand, Temple Town, to design a traditional Kerala style two-storied house featuring verandahs on both the floors, a living, dining, kitchen, work area, laundry, pooja, media room, library and four bedrooms.

The design intent

“Sandhya (the client) visited my house and fell completely in love with the traditional style tiles, furniture and antiques at my place. Being an NRI and having spent more than a quarter of a century abroad, she was deep-rooted to her culture, traditions and beliefs; and had a clear picture of how her home should be. Her aim was to recreate the traditional Kerala home she grew up in with her parents, now in their early eighties, and a home for her to settle in whenever she chooses to come back,” explains Meera.

The architectural details

The Nalukettu house is built according to the scientific principles of the Thachu Sasthra, which had a central courtyard or nadumuttam placed right in the centre of the house. The main entrance, also referred to as the padippura is a roofed gateway that leads to the main house. One of the most distinctive features seen in the house are the long steep roofs, gabled windows and tall pillars to withstand the heavy monsoon rains. As one enters the home there is a verandah with winding passage ways on both sides that connects all the other rooms in the house. A small but significant garden in the front planted with ayurvedic plants and flowers that are relevant to the region was also developed by Meera.

The interior design and material details

The bright and beautiful home showcases some interesting design elements like the emerald green brocade fabric on a bench, canary yellow block printed dining seats, a green sideboard in the dining with a collection of old keys, mirrors and old lithographs. One of the favourite spaces in this home is the courtyard and the pooja room on which an enchanting mural of Yashoda and Krishna (by artist S Suneesh) was commissioned, which was actually reflective of the beautiful relationship between the client and her son.

The dining room is a riot of colours — with a stunning brass thali setting with Kerala fabric napkins and lotuses, and an old wooden cooking utensil converted to a beautiful centre piece holding a garland of tulsi and pink Aralipoo or Oleander from the garden. The walls here are dotted with gorgeous vintage ceramic plates. The guest bedroom has a handsome headrest with vintage tiles, all custom-made at temple town. The son’s room has a four-poster bed with traditional Kerala spindles, and a beautiful painting in the pichwai style.

The master bed is a symphony of muted shades and maroons, a vintage jewellery box that doubles up as a side table when not in use, an oil painting of the famous carnatic singer MS Subalaxmi whom the client listens to ardently, and a glimpse of the 200-year-old windows sourced from Karaikudi. Another artwork worth mentioning is the copy of the Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilipatu written by Thunchathu Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam, which graces the wall, a fitting tribute to her roots whilst forming a beautiful backdrop for the colonial bed.