Colonial Charm
A composite mix of history, art and craft, entrepreneur Priya Mascarenhas’ Bangalore home is a labour love.
Located in Richards Town in the garden city, Bangalore, this heritage bungalow stands gracefully immersed in history. Inhabited by businesswoman Priya Mascarenhas, her husband Mohan and their daughter, the highlight of the half- acre, 150- year- old colonial home is the ornamental tropical and fruit garden, complete with a waterfall and Japanese bridge. This has won several coveted awards over the years. The result of Priya’s labour and love, dense foliage greets visitors as tall plants and colourful flowers spill out from behind the high compound walls and main gate. They are a teaser to what lies beyond. The long paved driveway curves along the boundary of the lush garden where heliconiums, ginger lilies and orchids grow. “Planted around the garden are about 25 varieties of fruit trees like guava, mango, avocado, custard apple, jackfruit and figs,” says Priya. The garden extends to the rear of the home, ending in a three- bedroom cottage meant for guests.
The main house, spread over an area of 10,000 sq ft is no less impressive, with most of the original structure being retained and restored. Tiled roofs, Tuscan pillars and wooden beam high ceilings add to the classic beauty that abounds throughout this home. Even the ceiling fans look like they belong to an era gone by. Plenty of natural light and fresh air filters in from the garden that lies just beyond the verandah at the entrance. Inside, it is almost like a museum, with rare and eclectic objects such as masks and wall plates handpicked from exotic locations like Bucharest and Cuba lining the once bare walls. Priya and her husband who have travelled to 75 countries in the course of their 40- year marriage have decorated the place with souvenirs amassed from around the globe.
The layout of the one- storied house is quite peculiar; symmetrical with the main living space in the centre and three rooms in a row that open into the other on either side. The living room is a visual delight with conversation pieces like a Waterford
nativity set, Lladro artefacts, Swarovski knickknacks and Piedmont and Petit point figurines. Other decorating elements include Chinese camphor chests, dowry boxes, Oriental masks, Buddha faces, old lamps and clocks that are quirky and rare. Large wall art from Thailand shares space with images of African brides picked by Priya during trips to Nairobi and Darussalam in one of the rooms near the entrance. Faces with different expressions carved in wood from Jamaica that bear resemblance to Bob Marley are hung on the wall in the same room. It is but an array of interesting blue wall plates in particular that takes the cake in the overall décor plan. An avid collector, Priya has plates from China, Italy, Belgium, Japan and France.
One with an aesthetic sense, she knows how to make rooms look spacious and less cluttered. Like she deliberately moved a solid Burma teak dining table out of the dining area into her husband’s office where it now serves as a conference table. “I got it removed as it was taking a lot of space. I replaced it with a simpler wrought iron set”, she says. Most of the other furniture was inherited by the couple along with the house. Even some of the few pieces which she picked, like the sofa set in the living room, were intentionally made to look old by replacing the legs with ornate silver ones instead. She has been particularly careful to pick antiques to match the look of the rest of the house.
Being a devout Catholic, she has collected religious artefacts from across the world. For example, images of Christ and other scenes from the Bible are displayed at strategic points.
In an attempt to retain the vintage feel, the couple was very careful while carrying out renovations, especially in the bathrooms and
kitchen. While the bathrooms sport mustardcoloured tiles with a design in pine green imported from Spain, kitchen doors have been redone using tasteful stained glass. The long counters wrap along the walls and there are glass pane cabinets overhead that create a sense of space and light.
Anyone familiar with Priya’s tasteful design sense can see instantly after one look around that her home is a beautiful amalgamation of varied dimensions. That it clearly reflects her love for art, travel and all things beautiful. Despite the grandeur of the house, Priya says what she loves most are the beautiful memories. “Of the good times spent with the family, watching grandchildren grow up, and entertaining friends on cool and breezy evenings with an outdoor bar.”
Put simply, of the life that she has lovingly created spanning more than 40 years at this address.