IDEAL LIVING

The Rao’s home is a living example of how magnificence and simplicity can co-exist in a natural environment

A peek into the Rao’s home down south in Trivandrum, Kerala

The Rao’s home has been designed keeping in mind a young, busy family of four – Suhas, Gayathri and their two teenage daughters. Sitting on the same page on how their home should look like, Gayathri and Suhas share, “We wanted lots of natural light to stream in from all sides. We also wanted an open space, but not totally public. A house that is children and pet-friendly.”

The entrance into the house is through a wide door, which opens into a copiously voluminous space flood-lit with natural light that filters in through the tropical greenery of the landscape. The ground floor has the formal living, dining and a small informal TV

lounge. Tucked away on one side with enough privacy are the two guest rooms - one of which opens onto a deck surrounded by a water body. The public areas are a huge cuboid, subtly demarcated visually with ornate screens that respond to the scale of the space. There are no walls, but the dining is kept adequately segregated much as is the TV lounge. Water-bodies, decks and outdoor spaces add to the beauty of the inviting home. Moving on to the upper floor, the lounge is where all the fun happens. Suhas shares, “We and our friends always find ourselves gravitating towards

Living in such a verdant city, we wanted to maximise on the indoor-outdoor feel, which has been amply attended to.

this lounge. The bar is here, also there is a small reading corner and a nice comfy seating for reading and TV viewing.” The lounge peeps out onto the terrace, which is lined up to wall height with vertical gardens as well as the green patch outside. Adjoining the lounge is the master suite, and the two daughters’ rooms are down the ‘bridge’ on the other end.

All the bedrooms are generously sized and have great views. The top floor is reserved for the recreational area and is equipped with a home theater, a spa and the gym. “Living in such a verdant city, we wanted to maximise on the indooroutdoor feel, which has been amply attended to. Large glass walls at pre-meditated intervals maintain the balance of light and shade. There are generous outdoor views from all parts of the house,” says Suhas. Gayathri emotionally mentions, “We wanted a home where all our wish-list gets addressed without any compromise on design or functionality, and this is it!”