‘Tipai Wildlife Luxuries’ designed by Ariane Thakore puts hyper-localisation at the core of resort
As hotels and resorts ramp up sustainability efforts, the forest villa made of rammed earth and cane interior in proximity to Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra is all for greening your staycation.
Consolidating the role of intelligent design in empowering the land and local economies, a conventional luxury resort, envisioned by founder Keyur Joshi has become the talk of the town for tiger sightings.
The architecture is majorly rammed earth construction with little cement and concrete, Ata-ur-Rahman, Founder, Kalakutumbh, from Bengaluru trained the supervisors and neighbouring village folks in rammed earth construction. The resources too, were locally procured and conservatively used.
Nestled amidst wilderness, the verandah of the forest villa is in complete harmony with nature with a cane lamp from This and That, the red table from Dust Concepts Design Studio with ceramic bottle and glass from Curators Of Clay is paired with a blue koy chair, made by visually impaired artisans.
The Living room itself is a reflection of nature, having a rustic study table from This and That with tall grass motifs, Curators Of Clay decor pieces, KOY centre table in natural materials, dhurries from Anahita Ginwala and bird lights from Oorjaa. Breaking the monotony of browns, the sofa by This and That is upholstered in a fabric from Toile Indienne.
The vaulted roofs are constructed with terracotta tiles made by local potters who work at CSV. They were also instrumental in enabling grey water filtration using Kavelus (conical terracotta roof tiles) which is a traditional method of reusing water for plants.
The villas, called Forest Villas and Pool Villas—include sprawling suites that blend into the outdoors spatially as well as visually. They disappear into the wilderness, like they were built to never exist or make any statement.
Almost every detail within the villas is meticullously handcrafted with local materials—from an antique cabinet with Naga doors to a floor lamp from Oorjaa.
The bathrooms at Tipai are decked with a basket from The Kishkinda Trust, toilet kit from Namaste Bamboo and scented candle from IKEA. The sanitary fitting is from Kohler and the basin is from Curators Of Clay.
The traditional hotel furnishings are replaced with textiles that are designed by Anahita Ginwala and have been handwoven by Magan Khadi with organic natural fibres.
Overlooking the forest, underneath a pitched roof, the lofty restaurant area has a dining table from Dust Concepts Design Studio, refurbished chairs and ceiling lights shaped as nests from The Wicker Story.
Sustainability comes from multiple endeavours like sourcing, material usage, construction systems, maintenance, social implications and the longevity of overall project.
As per Ariane, they introduce various trees to attract animals, birds, bees and butterflies and at the same time use species that consume less water. They also make provisions to save surface water runoff and enrich the soil with biomass.
