Goan-Portuguese Aesthetic Created by ARA Designs
ARA Designs works closely with property developers Isprava to create an inward looking luxury villa in Goa. By Amrita Shah
ARA Designs is a multi-disciplinary design practice spearheaded by Architect and Urban Planner Amey Dahanukar. From ARA Designs beginnings as a 3-man boutique firm in Mumbai 14 years ago to the 50+ team of designers, architects and urban planners in offices across India, the firm is now a leading name in hospitality design.
The Estate de Carmo is one of three villas belonging to an estate managed by Isprava, a luxury real estate firm specialising in building high-end holiday homes and villas. ARA Designs works closely with several brands, and has been associated with Isprava for five years.
When designing residential projects in Goa, Ara Designs makes it a point to use local materials, so red laterite often teams up with white plastered walls and terracotta tiled sloping roofs creating a modern Goan-Portuguese aesthetic that acts as a common thread in their villas with Isprava.
Amey says the design of a second home should be ‘inside-out’. “There should be an indoor-outdoor connection in the space, and views of the landscaping should be part of the design.”
At Estate de Carmo, several courtyards were created that connect to the main house. Large expanses of glass open up to views of the lawns, and deep verandahs wrap around the structure, creating a semi-covered layer to the house.
Amey elaboorates, “The idea behind the space is that you feel like you are walking in and out of the house, and you don’t realise where the boundaries are and that the roof has come in. So light and shadows play a major part in the space.”
The slope of the site was a main consideration while planning the four-bedroom home, and the designers spent considerable time tweaking the design to ensure that the house was not exposed to the main road. A high wall was created to block the house from sight from the main road for privacy, and the house was planned as an inward looking space with numerous courtyards.
Slit windows abut the entire length of the house, but don’t reveal the interiors. Amey believes that common areas of holiday homes need to be large as that is where people spend most of their time, and the common living areas are indeed generously proportioned.
The entrance courtyard leads to the sprawling living room with its muted colour palette of pale blues, creams and whites, offset with a high wood trussed ceiling and antique finished furniture. Sliding-folding patio doors open onto a deep verandah that connects to the pool area beyond.
Wanting to create a ‘pause’ between the living and dining areas, Amey chose to use landscaping to separate the areas, and effectively create what would be the highlight of the villa – the dining room which was conceived as a ‘floating zone’. Ensconced by large mullioned windows on two sides looking out onto the courtyard beyond and gives the impression of a room completely surrounded by nature and cut off from the rest of the house – an island, a peaceful sanctuary where the family can gather at mealtimes, feeling cut off from the chaos of the world around.
Images Courtesy Isparva