The stunning architecture of this newly built nest blends the stunning indoor and outdoor seamlessly
By Namita Gupta
Swanky and plush, yet functional organic, ecological, serene, sustainable living is what strikes you the moment you enter the Kamath’s residence at Classic Orchards, JP Nagar in Bengaluru. The stunning architecture is clearly propelled by a passion for nature and natural forms that celebrate beauty and harmony with exciting, expressive forms. The spaces are soothing not only to the eyes, but also to the body, mind and spirit. Each corner of this breathtaking abode with a built up area of 16952 sft beckons one to spend endless hours here soaking in all its luxury.
Revathi Kamath and her husband UR Kamath wanted a coveted space where all the members of the family could live together, yet have complete privacy in their own zones. And that is exactly what Harish Padmanabhan, Chief Integrator and architect, StudioNEXT known for its spatial and structural design related work did when he was given the task of handling the concept to completion project for his firm Kanchan Integrated (KIPDCo). “The Kamath family came to me with the idea of a tropical Balinese style of space with a contemporary setting with regards to functionality. They wanted a minimalist approach, a Swedish kind of interiors with a tropical exterior yet something that works best for an Indian setting. We had to keep in mind the connect between the two brothers Nithin and Nikhil (founders of Zerodha) and the parents, yet keeping the privacy. That’s why we built three different homes with separate entrance doors for each, within the confines of one big space,” shares Harish Padmanabhan.
Each house has a private green corner and a biopond. There’s a super cool exercise cum entertainment space on the terrace floor, a large fully equipped gymnasium on one side, a bar space and a snooker table on the other that opens out to an 80-feet long pool on the terrace that is totally private overlooking the greens. Every living space has a double height naturally finished concrete ceiling and easily manageable private spaces.
Ask the Kamath’s on the favourite part of their house and they agree in unison – the main biopond area, the living room, all the bathrooms, the terrace floor and the terrace garden. And rightly so! As we browse around the house, we are in sync with what they like and couldn’t agree more. “The terrace floor and the front lawn and the garden area is one place where we like to spend our family time together,” says Nikhil.
Talking to us about the modern trends in vogue right now and what his firm has incorporated in these spaces while designing the house, Harish states, “It has an ultra modern kitchen, a scrubber system sucking out of the chimney line, treated fresh air connection at the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom spaces. We have designed a completely automated home featuring NEST enabled climate control, voice controlled automation, App enabled automation and also completely automated curtains and blind system, face recognition with regards to access control at the main gate and SIM enabled garage door access. We have also used scientific and efficient lighting scheme all around the house, both indoor and outdoor. The weather proof accoya wood doors and windows are long lasting and look great. 24X7 pressurised water supply with a heat pump delivering hot water 24X7 at any instant, treated fresh water 24X7(RO plant enabled) air circulators at the basement, flood safe basement with automated pumps in sumps and many other such high-tech elements are used all across the entire house.”
Having always been close to nature, Revathi, a landscape artist herself and UR Kamath felt that they had to imbibe a part of nature into their house as well, which is very clear from the way the rooms lead to the very beautifully landscaped garden, or the open terrace garden. The house is so close to nature that you feel secluded in this tranquil den, away from the hustle bustle of the busy Bengaluru city life. Daylight is everywhere and its presence is heightened by a minimal number of walls. Space flows in a way that the transition is smooth and non-fussy. Natural day light using a reflective tunnel at the basement, tall fixed windows at every living room with light screens at every corner of the house add to the entire play of natural light. Her eyes light up as Revathi takes us around her house and shows us a beautiful portrait of her playing the veena, gifted to her by her two sons. We got customised natural wooden furniture from a furniture designer and manufacturer who designed it according to our tastes and preferences. We have followed a Bava style of architecture (mostly Bevis) with a blend of contemporary architecture. We have used vernacular construction methods, stabilised mud blocks that were manufactured mostly out off the earth that was excavated. Our architecture tells us that this is the first of its kind in a contemporary building like this. There is natural insulation on the inside maintaining the temperature on the inside with a plus minus of 4 degrees depending on the temperature outside. This translates to energy saving with regards to the climate control using VRV air conditioners. We have imported lights from different parts of the world depending on the type of end use – task lights or decorative lights.”
Another artwork catches our fancy as we stroll past Revathi’s section of the mansion, that of Ashtalakshmi and she introduces us to Divya Singh, the art curator. Divya shares, “We are working with Harish and the Kamath’s and have been visiting different art galleries and have a specialist working with KIPDCo helping us to commission artworks for each of the spaces across the entire house.” We love the clutter-free feel to the entire space of this spanking new home. Talk of staying ahead of the curve, the Kamath family clearly knows their game.
