Contemporary and tropical

As one enters the house of businessman Jaidev Avula and wife Aruna Avula at Mahendra Hills, it’s hard to miss the tropical feel that the architects, Srinivas Girijala and Sumithra Girijala, have so carefully crafted. Spread across 600 square yards with a built up area of 4300 sq. ft, it took Jaidev one and a half years to construct his dre

The house is spread across 600 sq. yards with 4600 sq. ft built up area

The ground floor has the living room that features a 20-ft handcrafted granite wall. The home theatre on the same floor has been very craftily designed with adequate acoustical treatment. And the kitchen has been given a very minimalist and spacious look.

Movie time: The home theatre has adequate acoustical treatment including a wooden floor

The highlight of the house is the beautiful view from the dinning area of the granite-walled waterfall. Also, the recurring tropical theme plays up again near the waterfall which has a small granite sit-out amidst an aesthetically pleasing garden.

Dinner: The formal dinning area on the ground floor is has natural daylight.

The brief given to the architects was simple, says Aruna, adding, “I wanted the house to be low maintenance, vastu compliant and having natural ventilation.” Keeping that in mind, the architects made maximum usage of natural ventilation with big, wide windows, which open into a small balcony. Also, to enhance natural ventilation they used double-height ceilings, while the shaded courtyard helps the flow of cool breeze.

Shades: Ample natural daylight and ventilation

The interiors of the house are predominately from China.

The interiors were handpicked by Aruna when the couple visited China. “We wanted the interiors to have a very classy and contemporary look. It took me some time to find the right mix, but like they say ‘all’s well that ends well’,” she says.