Homes where Contemporary Design Meets Traditional Architecture: Part-2

Traditional houses, modern influences
It is common knowledge that houses of today are heavily influenced by western design and architecture. From French styled windows to magnificent glass doors, people of today want their homes to reflect the present era. But what people forget is, the houses that we grew up in, spent our childhood in- speak a lot more in terms of retaining tradition and more importantly, practicality. For example, Houses of our older generation were completely built depending on the soil, the weather conditions and availability of raw material, instead of going for the highest quality and relevance. Here are the types of houses across southern India that showcase the sheer brilliance of Indian architecture and planning, which can give European influenced houses of today, a tip or two!

Houses of Tamil Nadu

The Chettinadu House– The Chettinadu house came about in the late 19th century and belonged to wealthy businessmen. The house has features like intricately carved wooden front doors, columned verandah, stout pillars made of teak, towers on either side of the verandah for business meetings. The inner courtyard of the house was solely constructed for three reasons- storing, sleeping and praying.

Silk Weavers House- The traditional house of the district of Kancheepuram, the silk weavers house can be identified by its vibrant colors of green, yellow, pink etc. on certain sections of the walls. The interesting aspect is that silk was manufactured inside the premises of the houses. The architecture is similar to most houses of Tamil Nadu, with big spacious courtyards and many rooms.

Mud Houses– The mud houses belonged to the working classes of Tamil Nadu. While the roof of the house is made using Palm leaves, the walls were built using mud blocks dried in the sun. Despite the being small, features such as the thinnai still remain an important aspect, without which a house cannot be called a home.

Houses of Kerala

Puthupalli houses– Made of wood, this is the typical house one can find in Kerala. The Puthupalli house is built and owned by the Syrian Christians of Kerala. This house directly enters into a storage space and the main aspects of the house come later. They are huge and spacious with separate living rooms, dining rooms, and prayer rooms.

Trivandrum houses– The homes of the Trivandrum Hindus of Kerala. Also constructed of wood, his house represents southern Kerala. With a separate area for storing grains and other important aspects, the priority of the house was to keep the essential needs near.

Houses of Karnataka

Stone houses of the Weavers-As the name suggests, this particular kind of houses made in northern Karnataka was primarily made of stone, wood, and mud. It is Also locally known as the Ilkal house.

The Chikmanglur House-This house takes inspiration from the palatial Muslim houses of the conolonial era, with heavy British as well as Indian influences. Built using wood available in the chikmanglur forests, the house is airy and can include a number of families to live in. It was primarily stared to be built during the early 1900s.

With houses of today being heavily influenced and constructed using international techniques and architecture, looking at traditional houses is like a breath of fresh air! Keeping this in mind, SPR brings to you, the old world charm of Indian architecture and influences. The apartments retain aspects of the traditional south Indian home that gives you moments of nostalgia. Enquire today and experience it for yourself!