House of Conversations

Set in one of the quieter parts of the city of Ernakulam, the House of Conversations is a modest home that caters to all present-day needs of its users along with allowing them to make more conversations and memories through the spatial planning of the home. Set in 10 cents, this home of 1464 sqft has spacious gardens and courtyards. The clients wanted a quaint home for their small family of three that exuded warmth and comfort to anyone who walked into their home. The son, mother, and grandmother trio wanted spaces that were inclusive of each other without compromising the privacy and integrity of the rooms. The spatial planning of the outer yards as well as the rooms came out of this concept of oneness.

One of the main constraints for this budget-friendly house was its crooked entrance from the road. The concern to aptly design a car porch that allowed for smooth movement of vehicles in and out of the house paved way for its initial conceptual layout. The site was zoned into different outer spaces namely; the car porch, the side gardens, and the service yard at the back.

The built space was kept minimal to build a compact sustainable home. The design has ensured sustainability to a maximum by adopting reusing and re-purposing of materials. Materials including the building materials(brick and rubble), doors and windows, plywood, and kitchen baskets are reused, and even some unused utensils were turned into flower pots. The built space was also knowingly kept to a minimum ensuring more garden spaces.

The house of conversations opens up to a rather informal space that multi-functions as a foyer, waiting area, or a place to rest in case of company. Since the clients had a good rapport with their neighbours, the room shared by the client's mom and grandmother was zoned to be in closer proximity to the boundary. This room also has small repurposed windows that open to their neighbours for friendly chitter-chatter. The sunken living room faces the dining cum kitchen on one side whereas it has beautiful gardens on the other side. One could argue that the dining is in the kitchen or wise versa because this dining cum kitchen space breaks the conventional open kitchen typology of a typical Kerala residence. An eight-seater dining table cast in iron with a granite top sits gracefully right in the middle of the double-height kitchen. These combined living, dining, and kitchen spaces ensure that no one is left out of any conversations. A stair along the living room takes you to the son’s room on the first floor. The design commits to the close connection shared by the mother-son duo that even the son’s bedroom includes a window that opens into the kitchen making sure that conversations end only one wants absolute privacy. A well-maintained vertical garden along the site boundaries of the living room ensures that there is privacy inside the glass walls of the home.

The intertwined social spaces make sure that its users feel seen, heard, and at home when they come back from their big city jobs.