Ideal Living
The beautiful villa of the Sarkari family is tucked away in the hills, and located in one of the most peaceful areas of Lonavala. It has a lush emerald garden lined with blooming flora and a magnificent private pool
Located at Kunegaon very close to Khandala, Ermin and Yasmin Sarkari’s beautiful two-storey villa is not just a getaway home, but a home
where entertaining friends and the extended family is a ritualistic norm. The layout of the house is a simple ‘L’ shape (that is how the house gets its name) with the single storey longer arm of the ‘L’ housing the living, dining and the kitchen spaces. The living room is spacious and adds a rustic and artistic charm to the house. The dining area houses a classic dinette. The big living room, which also acts as a large entertainment area fully opens up to the deck, lawn, and swimming pool, which can comfortably accommodate a gathering of twenty-five people.
The two storey shorter arm houses the four bedrooms with spacious bathrooms. Architecturally simple monolithic ‘L’ shape with lots of glazing windows overlooking the lawn and the pool. The rear elevation has punctures to create deep set windows rather than chajjyas. The private rooms flaunt a charming and comforting vibe. Ermin says,
“The main concept in mind was a very simple plan, but we wanted the living and the dining area to flush/merge with the deck and the garden area to form the large party area where you don’t feel you are moving from indoor to outdoor.”
The entire interior walls are rough plaster. The living and the dining has wooden joist effect. The bedroom ceiling has exposed concrete. The flooring has vanilla stone throughout the house. All bathrooms are in stone and has interspersed mirrors on walls. The interior materials are kept rough and rustic to give the ‘out of Mumbai’ feel. Most of the furniture in the villa is custommade, and the remaining picked up from local exhibitions. The interior lightings are mostly Fabindia fabric lamps. All in all the voluminous and airy living area along with the four large and spacious bedrooms makes the EL House a perfect home for a quick retreat time and again.