This weekend home’s design encourages family time

Raise Atelier’s design for Mann Villa in Lonavala is deeply influenced by the Japanese architectural philosophy of borrowing the scenery.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Aditya Kulkarni | Photographix India; courtesy Raise Atelier

The site

Mann Villa, designed by Raise Atelier sits on a 3,500-square-foot plot in Lonavala, Maharashtra. This one storied building with more than 4,000 sq ft of open space at the rear end was bought by the client during the early start of the pandemic. The client requested Raise Atelier to be creative within the frame work provided, and refrain from carrying out major structural work.

The brief

The clients, a big Gujrati family, wanted their holiday home to be a place where connections are nurtured — where elders can relax, cousins could bond, and the elderly can spend quality time with the grandchildren. The homeowners were also emphatic about this family home forging a bond with the surrounding landscape.

The civil intervention

The original house had a different layout with the living and pantry facing the eastern road, while the bedrooms faced the west. John Solomon and Boddhayan Chakraborty, principal architects, Raise Atelier felt the urge to completely change the layout to do justice to the brief which was presented to them. All the walls were broken down to expose the bare minimum — an open free-flowing space developed as the impendent need was for common spaces for the family to get together. Therefore, the entrance and living room was interchanged with the living now facing the west and opening to the lawn area.

The design and material details

A grand entry with a water body, pergolas and staggered steps leads to the entrance lobby where one can have a few minutes of calm on a plush single seater before stepping into the living room. The living room has both, the formal and informal seating zones (replete with a jhoola) to suit every mood of the family. The walls and ceiling here are enveloped in subtle shades of olive green. Along with the living room, the ground floor also accommodates a dining, kitchen and bedroom. The bedroom on the ground floor gives a sense of luxury and grandeur with the travertine marble clad back wall and a headboard in purple and gold. The bedroom on the first floor has a luxurious feel with a walk-in wardrobe space and an indulgent bath tub.

The third bedroom gives a classic vibe with arches, a sloping roof and high ceiling. The gold, beige and brown fabrics used here room adds to the look. The blue bedroom was specially designed for the youngsters in the family and has a playful mood created with the subtle use of pastel blue wood and low beds. This room has access to the spiral staircase that connects to the gazebo which offers the perfect ambience to play a board game or simply have conversations over their favourite cuppa. The indoors and outdoors area connected through verandahs and terraces with views of the open lawn and the beautiful landscape of Lonavala.

Fact file

Project: Mann Villa
Client: Sanjay Doshi
Location: Lonavala, Maharashtra
Area: 3,500 sq ft
Principal architects: John Solomon and Boddhayan Chakraborty
Design team: Suresh Mankar, Shubash Kumawat, Shamley Yadav and Santosh Kumbhare
Styling: Stylefix India