A sublime 1,750 sq ft. private residence in Bangalore inhabited by celebrated Curator Radeesh Shetty embraces the nuances of Tropical Modernism with its every weave, creating a home for impeccable finds and tranquility.

Tucked in the quiet and verdant streets of Indiranagar, this 20-year-old townhouse belonging to Radeesh Shetty is held still in the clasps of time. Cascading over the second floor and terrace level, the Open-Plan Residence has been breathed to life with an acute penchant for detail, art, heritage and is the resultant of an elated love affair with Tropical Modernism. A crossover amidst restoration and gut renovation, this residence for the Founder and Director of The Purple Turtles and Beruru celebrates his passion for craft and eye for priceless curios that transcends thresholds on maps.

The design process from its nascent stages envisaged reimagining this abode from the grassroots level. Locked for months, commencing work on the home meant that the team was only beginning to scratch the surface to unearth obstacles and design treasures in equal measures — reviving an antecedent old-world charm that crosses paths with neoteric interventions. The Pandemic was an unprecedented challenge that temporarily brought all progress to a screeching halt; the project witnessed completion in January 2021 kudos to the sheer resilience exhibited by the site teams and on the client’s end.

“We reanalyzed the spatial layout of the residence wherein the living spaces, dining, kitchen, and stairwell to the terrace have been physically connected; this allows the blueprint to unveil itself, drawing a fresh breath and opening its arms to a complete transformation,” shares Kavya. Each design move was made in tandem to create a space that was an extension of Shetty’s requirements and identity, allowing the Open-Plan Residence to reveal itself as a true labour of love.

Reminiscent of the sprawling residences from the era of virtuosi such as Geoffrey Bawa and Minnette de Silva, this home derives its inspiration from the mystic islands of Sri Lanka. The intent was to allow nature to devour the home in its entirety; a residence where the glinting sunlight, pattering Bangalore showers and the sights and sounds of its context embellish the home precariously. The residence frames arresting vignettes of the inside and outside coupled with the client’s comfort at its heart. The Open-Plan Residence celebrates raw and tactile materiality while entwining fingers with the new, speckled with craft and artefacts; these elements seam together an anomalous visual narrative that is composed of slivers of memories, journeys, and art that tell a story of the one who resides in its walls. The home comes to life amid lush greenery indoors and outdoors, where the fluidic spaces explore their modernist tendencies while amalgamating with antiques that brew a timeless concoction.

An avid traveler, Radeesh’s curatorial adventures have taken him far and wide; his affinity for heritage and artistic elements is mirrored in this abode. “The guiding impetus was to create a haven where warmth and comfort assumed centerstage. A home where his loved ones and he could unwind and convene. Ambience was key and we delved into the extensive usage of raw materials in their native form, celebrating flawed and distressed finishes over perfectly polished elements,” adds Sheth.

Solid wood, natural cane, stone, metal, and stucco on walls are the leitmotifs in the design palette and render the space in an earthy persona. Radeesh’s homegrown décor atelier The Purple Turtles and Beruru were instrumental in sourcing statement pieces of furniture, bric-a-brac, and planters that find their dedicated home in curated niches. The home’s design metamorphosis is driven by the intent of harnessing maximized natural light, creating a seamless flow between zones and the retention of original mosaic terrazzo flooring that was polished and restored to its former glory.

The split-level home is accessed via the second level of the building and opens into a narrow passageway that doubles up as the foyer. A pair of rescued double doors have been ingeniously fashioned into a solid single entrance door, setting the stage for the art-doused bijou home. An unassuming curved niche in the passageway is crowned by a stunning Ganesha mural customised by Artist Adil Writer. A scarlet kilim runner grounds the space and this entryway holds bold monochrome painted and paneled doors that lead into resting spaces.

The nucleus of the Open-Plan Residence is inhabited by the newly conceptualised free-flowing living, dining, and kitchen zone trio. Major internal walls were demolished as per site conditions to lend the layout a cohesive and capacious demeanour whilst ensuring they perform pragmatically.

The living room accommodates an intimate gathering with ease and can don the cape of a versatile space whether it’s to unwind in or to host. The Balinese Lotus Leaves art on the accent wall was created by a Vietnamese artist; its presence imbues the formal living with a sense of vigor. The neutral canvas of the space is punctuated by rich hues of maroons, olives, and the warmth of rattan in the form of artifacts, upholstery, and indoor greens.

Flanking the living section on one side is the dining area that allows users to congregate and enjoy piping meals together. A live-edge dining table crafted in Pondicherry with intricate brass joinery details is the focal piece of furniture where the delicate hardware seems to interlace the majestic wooden slab together. Glimpses of the living area are caught as reflections in the colossal wooden framed mirror which has been created immaculately using a carved restored antique door frame; this in turn visually amplifies the space in volume and fills the communal areas with umpteen natural light. An alcove houses the hand-chiseled stone sink that builds on the bare material identity of the spaces. A recessed niche by the dining houses a vintage wooden hutch that poses as a bar on one side and a collage of minimalist prints that illustrate attires from South-East Asia on the other.

The former kitchen was completely gutted out to tap into the maximal potential of the space; a central island has been introduced into the layout which further optimizes function, storage, and clear circulation. Walnut finishes bathe the kitchen ubiquitously and the flooring transforms inconspicuously to simple textured tiles meshed with sleek brass transition profiles. The organic-silhouette asymmetric chandelier presides over the island where it juxtaposes its sinuous forms against the crisp linearity of the space.

Private resting spaces in the Open-Plan Residence are congruent with the overruling Tropical Modern sentiment; ornamentation that weaves together a robust artistic identity and a cohesive layout rule the roost in the guest and master bedrooms.

A vision in monochromes, the guest bedroom packs in impactful design within a compact floorplan. The focal accent wall is adorned with a hand-illustration by a local artist that is a spirited take on the design ethos. A colonial-era-inspired cane and dark-stained wood bed is paired with stacked antique trunks that pose as reimagined nightstands by the window where the mammoth fiddle-leaf fig rests. The graceful Lumina pendant suspended over the bedside, sprinkled antiques and line art pepper the space with a curated nuance. The black and white cane wardrobe shutters are topped-off with antique glass knobs and are pieces of art in their own right! The bathroom is evocative of pristine oceans and balmy beaches with its pistachio stucco walls and pearlescent wall tiles that give the space a complete facelift.

The master suite has been created by incorporating the balcony within the revised layout, thereby maximizing the blueprint. The design intent was tethered to creating a sanctuary of sorts for Radeesh where every inch of the space echoes serenity and understated beauty. With a muted palette, the room is layered snugly with hues and prints via soft furnishings, selected antiques, and art. A solid wood headboard with gorgeous, exaggerated grains scales the breadth of the wall and is the pièce de résistance in the room; it pairs elegantly with Oorjaa Design sustainable white lanterns that are recollective of delicate origami silhouettes.

A triad of Gond art pieces in black and white grace the headboard wall, imparting the timelessness of Indian arts into the suite. An intimate reading nook by the expansive windows is paired with a period bookcase that allows the bibliophile in Shetty to enjoy his downtime. Suave open grained black wood-louvered wardrobes bring gravitas to the space, attributing the omnipresence of this feature in tropical homes. The ensuite bathroom has been reworked to introduce glass partition walls that promote the open concept; earthy tiles and stucco-finished walls caress the reimagined bathroom and vanity nook.

The staircase in the central zone of the home acts as the architectural spine of the abode and connects the domestic spaces to the private terrace. With its light and slender wood and metal profiles, the staircase becomes an appendage to the design theme. Miniature prints from the Chinese calendar line the double-height stairwell wall and guide the eye across the volume of the space.

The transition into the terrace is earmarked by diagonally laid Shahabad stone flooring which conjures imagery of picturesque, cobbled gardens from Sri Lankan villas. The former terrace construct was stripped down to create a conservatory of sorts that comes alive with dappled sunlight and an assemblage of thriving greenery as Radeesh himself is quite the plant aficionado. The entrance to the terrace is framed by rescued antique double doors that transport one to a bygone era.

Meant for the client to utilise diversely, the space can be used for calm yoga mornings or to host guests over an evening soirée. A green-dotted lounge under the gridded pergola witnesses visual poetry in the form of morphing shadows; idols in various niches and pieces of an antiquated chariot find their rightful spots across this dreamy alfresco oasis.  The bar assumes a tucked-in presence on the other end of the floorplan, shaded by a custom slatted bamboo roof by Bamboopecker that filters sunlight into the entertainment area. The bar console is composed of solid Shahabad stone with a granite top that descends as a waterfall edge. Antique lamp holders have been burrowed into the existing recesses in the walls and build on the regal persona of the space. A massive elaborately carved wooden panel forms the backdrop to the bar section, tying the zone together with its rooted mien.  The adjoining powder bathroom has been finished in a homogenous palette of bare stucco surfaces. A pedestal monolithic stone sink is the Objet d'art, placed against a modern olive-green herringbone tiled statement wall. Refurbished louvered windows puncture the walls of the space, illuminating the montage of miniature Sri Lankan illustrations.

The Open-Plan Residence’s stimulus lies in the zest for creating a home where the client’s devotion towards beauty, art, and comfort converges. “This project is a testament to the fact that a trust-driven collaboration and a shared vision for spaces can manifest into a physical resultant that redefines what the quintessential abode is for a user. This home is for the heart and eyes of a connoisseur of craft and needed to be the most honest expression of all that Radeesh finds his calling in. It is an ode to his practice, his experiences, and all things that are meaningful to him as a homeowner, all swathed in bespoke tropical prowess,” concludes Kavya.

This piece was published in Elle Decor India (June-July 2021) , The Architect’s Diary (November 2021) and The House of Things (June 2022) .