Eco Village GoodEarth Malhar is designed with poetic wit and rustic charm
Reinventing the traditional Kerala architecture with vernacular elements, local crafts and lush green space, the modern style Villa GoodEarth is a result of cutting edge research on heritage architecture by Whitespace Design in Bengaluru.
Traditional building applications can certainly add sustainable yet sophisticated appeal to a space. The eco-village known for its Kerala-style architecture, recently owned by a globetrotting couple, stands true to its name GoodEarth Malhar.
Good Earth Malhar is actually a residential eco-village project spread over 50 Acres of land, located in verdant Kengeri, Bangalore. Designed to accommodate 500 families, Malhar is divided into 5 communities, of 75 to 90 families each. Each community has an extent of 5 -12 acres. This has enabled us to create a development which is human in scale, and is easy to manage.
Decorated by wooden ceiling beams, exposed brick walls and pockets of bonsai, every nook and corner of the living room actually seems to exude life full of novelty. Wicker chandelier and a flat woven rug anchor the seating area, while an ornate mirror and swing lend a rustic flair.
As desired by the clients, it has all the facilities of a modern home with warm and traditional air, According to Principal Designer Ganesh Nair, keeping with the Kerala vernacular, they put together a palette of brick, stone and lots of greens”.
The details were defined by Athangudi and Moroccan tiles, patterned fabrics, tropical wallpapers, wrought iron furniture, and a tapestry of textures.All the moveable furniture was custom-made and sourced mostly from Kerala.
Verandha is tasseled with Mangalore-tiled roof, terracotta-toned flooring, wooden pillars and earthen pots that greet you at the entrance verandah, of “The only giveaway is the modern teak-and-cane accent chairs and the line of bonsais, perched on hewn stone,” as per Nair.
In the dining room, a megalithic solid wood dining table with extra-broad legs takes centre stage, while cane chairs and a cane shuttered console cut an earthy figure. The wood-finish fans are from Atomberg. Artworks are licensed prints from Arte’Venue.
The ethnic design vocabulary is further manifested through locally made custom bamboo pendant in the dining room, in the megalithic solid wood dining table with extra-broad legs, and again, in the exposed brick walls of the kitchen and the study.
An overlay of Moroccan tiles on the credenza shutters to give the room that edge.” But Nair was also careful about function. They have created the whole space with such a traditional swing that classic-meets-contemporary design intimately.
