Beaches or Mountains? It has been ceaselessly debated, but personally, my pick has always been beaches due to my proximity to them and because the mountains’ robust yet treacherous terrains eternally intimidated me. While George Mallory from Jeffrey Archer’s, Paths of Glory did convince me for a stint, the intimidation persisted.

However, the greenheads at Stomp Architects take their pick—mountains! —and etch it on every vacuous wall and glass façade in the arcadian setting of Tamil Nadu. Aptly christened, Western Valley Home, this home borrows nuances, aesthetics, and textures from the majestic Ghats that peer at it from a distance.

“The House, a Lake and a Valley- a triangular love story, is all about this house,” explains Vignesh Sekar, Principal Architect of Stomp Architects.

FACT FILE

In The Ranges

“So, on the first visit, it was a corner plot, we had a fantastic view of the lake and the valley,” describes Vignesh. Consequently, Western Valley Home transpires snuggled at the base of the Western Ghats, discerning a serene lake corralled by lush verdant goodness. Vignesh justifies, “It (home) frames the idyllic valley along with a glistening lake at its forefront,” while cuddling with that serene milieu ahead. Corners are an eternally overlooked element in every segment; be it pizza or petite nooks in homes, but they bring a gamut of garnishing possibilities concocted with a few rewards. Correspondingly here, the corner plot secures a panoramic view of the Ghats and the medley crew that grooms the ecological surroundings, transforming them into spellbinding tchotchkes. “So, the site has roads running all north, west and southern sides,” Vignesh illustrates on a 3D model the home’s plus of laidback entrée owing to its position.

“This particular house serves as an embodiment of a valley and with layered ever-changing seasons from edge to edge,” describes Vignesh. As one arrives at the ingress, gaping at the valley’s barbed silhouettes, a stark black veil is parked against a rust and grey-hued façade. The façade embraces glass as a link to the natural surroundings shrouded by “the engravings... emulates the valley by itself,” Vignesh states. While one traces the valley’s silhouettes on the facade, a kinetic jaali with niches shields the home from the razing Tamil Nadu sun. Vignesh vaunts, “We added some punch to the façade by giving more accentuated punctures.” The façade’s dips and bulges impersonate the deceitful terrain of the mountains whose gradations can be robust yet lethal.

Inside The Valley

“The frontal surface (portion of the plot) is staggered with an entry staircase... and opens up to a koi pond,” Vignesh shows. The entrance steadfastly establishes a sense of vigour, with a wooden door etched with black patterns exuding a boho vibe and a duet of brass stags, standing in two corners, symbolizing strength and protection. “(Inside) the design is elegantly simple, it features three linear offsets vertically with a corridor connecting the individual spaces,” Vignesh tells us. A straightforward corridor rolls the carpet for the visitors, colluding with the spaces stationed on either side. At the vanguard is a koi pond blowing cool puffs throughout the home, gleaming in the golden flecks streaming through a sleek skylight and a colossal opening on the other side. Tracing the source of the blitz of light, a formal drawing room transpires, donning a minimalistic warm attire with wooden and cobalt, sunbathing in the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Passing from the fish pond area, we arrive at this informal living where the integration of landscape is maximized,” Vignesh expresses. This double-height space, with landscape smeared at the rear end, bonds with the softness of the greenery, featuring slender planters and boulders with ants as an ode to the mountains. A jaali slyly slides across the glass façade, shielding the chattery space. “It can be dynamically operated with respect to the sun’s movement,” Vignesh reveals. A warm wooden couch and trickling lights posed against the landscape strip connect to the dining and pooja area beyond through a slender slit window. Vignesh describes, “Specifically, this space has a larger indoor-outdoor connection,” stretching out into a lush lawn that gapes at the captivating Ghats, transforming into a getaway for a tea party in the evenings.

Summiting At The Summit

“This informal space overlooks, “The staircase made by folded 16mm thick metal plates,” Vignesh specifies. The warm wooden treads lead to the sleeping sanctuary, reaching out to the Ghats while stealing gazes at the voluptuous river. A vestibule overlooks the informal space, housing a tête-à-tête lounge of its own while sharing its space with the study area that cools off in the waft emitted by the koi pond. Vignesh further explains, “The lounge area is next to the master bedroom,” transforming it into an unwinding space where the residents and their kids can chill together.

The master bedroom is drenched in warm hues from ceiling to floor, adoring the serene surroundings through the French windows. “Currently, the kids are toddlers, so the clients want them to be with them; that is why there is a bunk bed over here (right at the room’s entry),” Vignesh shares. The porous partition with wooden planks arranged to reveal their slender sides and the marble block establishes a visual link between the toddlers and their parents. As one escapes the snugness of the rooms, an infinity pool reaches out to the fluidity of the river ahead, with the edges flocked by serene greens. “We also have a party terrace... covered with plants in the borders,” Vignesh reveals.

Western Valley Home acquiesces to brew settings that are an ode to the menacing terrain surrounding it, while altering the climatic context. While the dwelling bows to the Western Ghats, Vignesh asserts, “The core intent of the house of bringing in more life remains.” Here, the life is ostensible in the water’s susurrus and greenery’s convivial chatter, all coalescing with the robust walls for an unbound habitat that hikes to the summit of homeliness.

To watch the complete home tour, peruse the drawings in detail, and browse additional photographs, visit Buildofy. While there, don’t miss out on the other impressive contemporary homes in Tamil Nadu and across India.