Interior designer Shabnam Gupta displays a special allegiance to the vernacular architectural wisdom of Southern Indian homes, though reinvented with her signature style, and presents a farmhouse retreat situated in Khandala that’s a perfect second home. Shabnam brought in Sameer Parab Architects, Aryan Infrastructure (Sanjay Chauhan), Sahani Associates (Structural Engineer Nitin Sahani) and landscape artist Neelam Sagar (The Tree House) for contributing towards the lush, green haven she envisaged as the country home-escape.
Her almost bohemian love for vibrant colour palettes, eclectic forms and varying textures juxtaposed with trendy detailing is expressed here too, albeit in disciplined measures, within the quiet getaway inspired by vernacular architectural principles. This farmhouse’s aesthetics incorporated the functionality of metropolitan homes and the sensibility of a traditional South Indian dwelling in the dual layers of roofing laid down for maximizing natural cooling; this feature eliminated the need for artificial air-conditioning in the community spaces within the house.
