The landscape of this Chennai vacation home creates a picture of luxury and rejuvenation

Landscape architects Kiasma Studio ensure their design offers diverse experiences within a narrative filled with tropical lushness.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Ricken Desai; courtesy Kiasma Studio

This one-acre vacation home along the coast of Chennai personifies the client and his lifestyle in an efficient, concise and impeccable manner. “The concept revolved around weaving two-dimensional elements (such as flooring) with three-dimensional objects (walls), using graphical lines that unify the built-structure and the landscape,” says Sowmya Lakhamraju, principal architect, Kiasma Studio, whose creative outpourings have contributed greatly towards creating the ‘vacation’ part of this weekend home. The selected range of materials — granite, washed concrete and wood — harmonise with the entire beach house.

Right at the outset, a mural of galloping horses guides the eye to the main entrance. When seen against the deliberately understated plantation here, the powerful equines seem to be running unfettered in a lush meadow full of swaying grass. The walls that surround the landscaped areas in a cocooning embrace feature washed concrete as well as vertical gardens, creating a delightful play between a brutalist element and refreshing greens. Flooring details— which are often passed over in such narratives — are leveraged for their graphic quality as well as colour. A play of bold colours in hardscapes goes hand in hand with the healthy greenery, where the flora escalates its unique look.

Within the private garden, a pool with a vanishing sculpture, an outdoor conversation pit, a Jacuzzi and a terrace that allows you to soak in the surroundings add activity points geared towards unwinding and relaxation. Kiasma Studio’s interest in art is exemplified by the vanishing sculpture, a parametric metal sculpture (depicting a seated woman) that seems to dissolve from view when seen from a certain angle.

The greens are restrained yet impactful and add considerable muscle towards creating texturally-rich alfresco areas. All trees and shrubs have been sourced keeping in mind the region’s climatic conditions and are low maintenance. “The challenge in this coastal project,” highlights Soumya, “was to ensure effective planting that would not interfere with the view of the shoreline from the upper level.”