Brick and mortar meanderings

It’s all about soaking in the sunshine at the Ramnane’s villa in the posh locality of Koramangala. The young Sindhi couple Rajiv and Khushboo Ramnane let us peek inside their plush and sleek yet cozy and comfy home and share their story of this labour of love, how they built it, brick by brick enthusing it with their dream vision. The abode lends a cheerful happy vibe with a serene and calming water fountain placed at the far end of the lush green lawn.

The idea was to keep their 3,200 sq ft space practical, fuss free, colourful and chic with low maintenance. As you enter, you will notice an ethnic touch to the wall with brick inlay carved with a jharokha at its centre that flaunts a bright Kerala mural created by Sushma, an artist, and Attangudi tiles on the floor that give it a vibrant and earthy feel.

A restaurateur, Rajiv Ramnane who runs Jimi’s and Locals states, “I like the raw earthy look of the brick walls which lends a warmth to the house. We roped in interior designer Reeti Jain to help us out with the nitty gritty of the interiors as she has a keen eye on minute details. We added another plot to the house for a large open space and the extension of the area was done by architects Raina and Sundeep. The extension has an ethnic touch to it, which is reflective of our expanding tastes. When we made the house our requirements were simple:  easy to clean surfaces and functional design as an aesthetic element without adding more artefacts or specially-added features.  We also wanted it to be relevant to us 10 years down the line, and hence we stuck to classics in terms of materials used, like teak wood and easy on the eye hues and muted tones.”

The hostess’ house is as large as her heart as she walks us around with a pleasant smile, through every nook and cranny that she’s created with passion, sharing interesting tales on some areas she cherishes the most. There is a lift with glass on all four sides inside the two storey house.

Khushboo explains, “We installed the lift for our parents as we wanted to make it convenient for them whenever they visit us. The blue Attangudi tiles in the balcony refresh the senses as soon as we awaken. A play of lights complements the monochrome colour scheme. We have tried to include native weaves and artforms and also supported budding artists. So we have the Madhubani in the puja corner and a Kerala mural welcoming you into the house, handwoven Ikat bedspreads in rooms and Kutchi embroidered cushion covers (made by thriving artisans in Gujarat) in the living space and the Attangudi tiles are all reflective of our love for all things Indian.”

The entertainment room on the ground floor of the house with two single beds that can be opened up and converted to an L-shaped couch, is perfect for karaoke sessions. You can’t miss a striking royal blue wall with a world map painted on it.

“We love to travel and that’s why we created this magnetic wall, where we put up our photographs and magnets from our travels. We love the clutter-free feel and open spaces. We have our morning cuppa in the balcony. The kitchen garden area gives us the greatest joy in the house, and we feel blessed to have made an oasis for ourselves, which takes us away from the hustle and bustle outside. We have our breakfast in the garden where we soak in some Vitamin D. We laze on the hammocks while our toddler plays around. I’ve also started gardening and growing organic vegetables in my kitchen garden,” says Khushboo, pointing to her home grown cherry tomatoes, spinach, mustard, chillies, lemon, ladyfingers, beans, brinjals, herbs and pumpkins.