Located just outside Bengaluru, this wall-free home is unlike any residence you've ever seen

The houses that architects often build for themselves, without the interference of picky clients or even budgetary constraints and creative restraints, typically carry the burden of displaying their talent and taste in full splendour. Architect Shalini Chandrashekar, principal designer and co-founder of Bengaluru-based Taliesyn Design + Architecture, probably had a similar dilemma, because the country home she recently built for herself and her family on the outskirts of Bengaluru seems more inventive and beautiful than anything her team has ever designed. “Being your own client allows more freedom to explore and innovate creatively. Our design note to self was to create a form that takes it a step further from just catering to its inhabitants’ needs and aims to address the needs of the local community,” says Chandrashekar, about her two-year-long labour of love that features adaptable, multi-use, congregational spaces across levels.

Nature plays protagonist at this beautiful retreat

Located on a lush four-acre coconut and areca tree plantation, the monochromatic home, built in concrete and cement finishes and coupled with warm oak wood, was conceptualised by Chandrashekar and her partner at Taliesyn, GS Mahaboob Basha, to showcase a living solution unfettered by boundaries while offering uninterrupted views of the outdoors. Named Ksaraah, which is the Sanskrit word for something that is constantly changing, the home transforms from sunrise to sunset even as the landscape changes from season to season. “The effects of volume, light, shadow and textures in each area are designed to alter continuously as one traverses the spaces at different hours of the day,” shares Chandrashekar, who has been isolating here with her family, an hour away from Bengaluru’s city centre.

It's evident that the design duo wanted the house to blend with the view outside, and how their geomorphic design did that was by devising a structure that embraced the surroundings and revealed the beauty of the landscape in all directions and across all seasons. What they have created is a paradise that is centred on a breathtaking panorama. A clean-line, soulful home in the lap of nature, the two-storey residence is framed by a rollicking farm view and was built retaining the green cover. Once a barren land that was transformed into an organic farm run by Chandrashekar’s family with the aim to eventually make them self-sustainable, today its bounty is overflowing—populating the outdoors are coconut, banana, rose apple, jamun, tamarind, neem, chiku, water apple, pomegranate and papaya trees, to name but a few. “Whatever grows here, we share it with the neighbours, and if they grow something, they give it to us,” she shares about her help-thy-neighbour lifestyle. 

A study in multi-use, congregational spaces

Last year, during the pandemic, the home’s architectural pièce de résistance, a 80ft-long pavilion that stands on circular columns, and which is designed as an annexe, became a classroom for the village children when schools shut down around the country. In the past, the space has even hosted a play as part of the annual village festival, Jatre. “The high-ceilinged pavilion is an exceptionally dynamic arena that has been designed to be multifunctional and is open to not just the family but the locals too. This recreational space is always bustling with energy, hosting evening soirées, a dance recital or a musical rendezvous with equal flair,” adds the graduate from the University of the Arts, London, about the expansive single room that serves myriad functions.

Minimalist and spatial configurations bring alive this no-boundaries home 

With its minimalist and simple spatial configuration, many such multipurpose spaces exist across this wall-free home that Chandrashekar and Basha conceived primarily as a space to congregate and gather. “As designers, we didn't want to restrict people in such a way that the spaces devised could only be used in a specific way. There are no predefined functions linked to the spaces here, and through its multifunctional volumes, the abode offers a varying range of possibilities for the inhabitants to mingle.” Inclusive and open to all, the communal spaces include the living area, which spills over to the landscape, as well as the open kitchen and outdoor dining area on the ground floor. Altogether, the design is highly porous—open, flowing and relaxed—allowing for easy access between these rooms and the outdoors. In fact, the open plan allows each room to have a view—with no walls enveloping the rooms, it is the surrounding plants and trees that offer a natural breezeway from one space to the other. The result is an airy space that is enjoyable without the modern trappings of an air conditioner. “Spatial design is all about how a person feels inside a space, rather than its exteriors,” says Chandrasekhar. “We designed it in such a way that there is no mechanical ventilation here, and even in Bengaluru’s peak summer the cross ventilation is so good, there’s always a cool spot to shelter.” 

Sustainability is a running leitmotif 

From the beginning, conscious choices that meld with the surroundings informed the blueprints. So solar panelling for renewable energy is just one of the interventions that round up Chandrasekhar’s environmentally conscious and sustainably sound design approach. The house feels subtle and natural, but even with its eco-friendly bent, it remains elegant, exuding a mood of unpretentious, grounded luxury.

Take, for instance, the outdoor pool area, which is made with grey stone walls designed to catch the northeast-southwest breeze to create a comfortable microclimate on-site. Inside the home, natural materials like Sadarahalli and Pink Magadi stone merge with the surroundings (the Savandurga Hill, one of the largest monolith hills in Asia, frames the backdrop of the house), and were sourced locally from nearby quarries and are used generously with the dual intention of using surfaces that age gracefully and also require minimal maintenance. The oak wood used at Ksaraah is certified and the exposed cement finish and yellow oxide flooring is durable. The proclivity to natural materials even finds its way in the khadi bedding and au naturel toiletries, which enhance the overall neutral palette in the dwelling's residential quarters on the first floor. “The home truly coexists with its natural surroundings through a sustainable approach. The materials chosen are durable and natural. In fact, even the waste stones have been recycled to create furniture,” shares Chandrasekhar, whose double role as the architect and homeowner shines through the space.

Don't miss the strategically placed tableau of family heirlooms and modern design treasures 

Like the outside, inside too the mood is one of exquisite serenity and simplicity. Without any florid accoutrements, the stark linearity of the edifice is complemented indoors by a tableau of bespoke design treasures that Chandrasekhar conceived and seamlessly mixed with family heirlooms. An antique swing, a staple in old Chettiar homes, takes up pride of place in the living area and is one of the family-owned pieces passed down through generations. Almost blending with it are stunning antique chairs procured from Gulmohar Lane. The stone furniture, conceived by the Taliesyn team and made by local sculptors, celebrates the same crafts-focused language brought alive by the homeware products inside—kansa crockery by Ellementry, decor pieces by Beruru  and products from Essential Traditions by Kayal.  

As if blending the architecture with the interiors, pared-down, custom-made pieces match the all- round understated elegance and seem to foster a closer connection with the land. “The primary design challenge was to curate a built environment that would belong within its context: one that would blend, harmonise, and inspire rather than shock and dominate,” explains Chandrasekhar, “Responding to the natural contours, the home has been rewarded with a cellar that remains cool throughout the year, with its stone walls and the earth filling around. In fact, the design is such that after building the property and planting more trees, we now have more birds and animals coming in than ever before.” So besides the commanding views, the house she built also offers some handy wisdom about how to live with the land.

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