The Villa
Drawn once, for one family.
Studio Sagara, Mumbai. Completed 2025. Two floors, a nine-foot roof, and a pool terrace facing the water. These are the rooms.
The Form
The plan stands up into a building.
- IThe plinth — local basalt, one metre proud of the lawn.
- IIThe ground floor. One room, twenty-six metres long.
- IIIThe upper floor. Five suites; none share a wall.
- IVThe roof, cantilevered nine feet, drawn for shade.
- VThe pool and the west terrace. Then the sea.
The Great Room
Twenty-six metres, one room.
Living, dining, library — divided by furniture, not walls. Nine-metre sliders open the whole southern face to the terrace, and in monsoon you close them and watch the theatre. The ceiling is double-height at the centre, where the house takes a breath.
Light, noted — southern sun until four; golden hour enters from the west corridor and lies down on the Kota stone.
The Kitchens
Two kitchens. You only ever see one.
The marble island is for mornings and for company. The working kitchen behind it — Miele, steel, a door that closes — is for the chef, and stays out of sight. Dinner arrives; the noise does not.
The Suites
Five suites. Each faces the water.
None share a wall. The principal suite takes the entire western end — dressing room, bath in a single slab of stone, and a private terrace where the day performs its ending. The other four argue only about which is second best.
The library corner of the second suite.
Materials
Chosen to age, not to shine.
- Tadelakt lime plaster
the walls, soft to the hand
- Kota stone
underfoot, cool at noon
- Reclaimed Burma teak
doors, shutters, the long table
- Basalt
the plinth, quarried forty kilometres away
- Unlacquered brass
allowed to darken where it is touched
- Handmade Mangalore tile
the service wing roofs
A materials cabinet is opened during every viewing. Bring your hands.
Particulars
The facts, in one table.
| Plot | 2.4 acres, freehold |
|---|---|
| Built area | 18,500 sq ft |
| Suites | 5, all en-suite |
| Pool | 25 m, sea-facing, heated |
| Power | full solar + silent backup |
| Water | private borewell, rain-harvested |
| Staff | quarters stand apart, three retained |
| Completed | 2025 |
| Price | on request |