India - Siridao House Project
This turnkey two year project in Goa involved stabilising and amending the walls of a ruined house, adding several wings, full bespoke interior design and execution, and garden design. (Please use arrow slider in header image to see original state of house).
The altered facade to include full-length windows, juliette balconies and the lily ponds in the foreground
Garden with lily ponds and rotunda leading to grand added front entrance steps
Rotunda and central pedestal leading to grand front entrance steps
One of my favourite images showing the interior courtyard before and after
Steps rising to side veranda overlooking lakefront
Bougainvillea in the plant beds
Rotunda and newly constructed compound wall, complete with finials and iron gate in old Portuguese design
Newly added juliette balconies with reclaimed ironwork and concrete corbels below
One of the only materials I bought were the iron railings for the veranda, painted black and gold to match the black and gold stone floor. The eves boards were cut especially
To add more space and light to the entrance portico I created mirrored niches in the walls, their rounded tops mirroring those of the entrance and side arches, each with their own console table. The floor is is local Kadappa and Jaisalmer yellow
My pool and pool house
The interior courtyard a few years after completion showing mature plants
Goa was a former colony of Portugal, itself having been Muslim for 900 years in it's own history. This historical detail is often mirrored in arch design prevalent in Goa - I added these in the Islamic style to create the inner courtyard
My pool house with imperfect arches to create a slightly rustic mood
In true Indian style all levels were achieved using level pipes (pioneered by the Romans) without the use of any modern spirit levels
Architectural details added include this brick and molded concrete day-bed in yellow IPS
Contrasting texture and colour
Quite late in the project I added this apron roof along the front and side facades to protect against the heavy monsoon rains. It added a glorious feature to the overall look
I created gargoyles in terracotta at either corner of the entrance portico, modelled in the style of English hunting dogs
I designed the ceiling of the living room to include 99 squares of mirror glass, each pane having been individually "antiqued" for a better overall look
All furniture and the kelim rug were made especially for the project
The dining room overlooking the lake was itself the end of a long hallway. I added heavy curtains to keep in the cool air conditioned air during the hot months
Everything you see was made for the project including ceiling design, terrazzo floor, all furniture, security shutters and art. The only antique details being the feni jars on the wardrobes
All window shutters were made in teakwood by local craftsmen
The chest of drawers is antique as well as the Art Deco vanity
View into the master bathroom
I made a bath tub in brick and moulded cement to hold two. The blue and white surround behind also made for the project from hand-painted and -cut glazed tiles in the Portuguese style
To gain extra width in the shower I extracted a further 25cm from the 60cm thick walls. Even the iron hinges for the heavy security shutters in the whole house I adapted from vintage Goan hinges
The second bedroom has wainscotting and wall paper. The bed was made to queen size proportions in the antique style
I had the brass and copper bath tub made in Kerala. It is raised on a platform to allow the seated bather views of the lake outside
Again everything was made except for the antique muslim prayer rugs adorning the walls
The rough plaster wall treatment is a detail which I brought to Goa and used on frequent projects. Much copied by other builders over the years
I often bought items of architectural salvage such as these antique English colonial stained glass panels to give a newly made room a sense of style. The hanging light is fashioned from a gramophone trumpet. The jackwood shutters made to close into the window niche. The wardrobe is an antique
All items were made except for the sinks and taps
Every item made including the beaten copper sinks
I got the black painted urns made in terracotta as well as the hardwood pedestal bases. The wall fountain is in black terrazzo
The black painted terracotta urns and hardwood pedestal bases
The lion mask wall fountain was made life sized to include the egg and dart surround of 18th & 19th century English furniture design.
The 70cm diameter Tiffany style ceiling lamp was made locally by a former hippie. The diamond and circle chain I commissioned from the metal man. Every detail counts!
Views over the lake from the side veranda
One of my favourite creations - we started with three reclaimed teakwood planks
The hamam style shower room in the pool house
The Portuguese colonial style hand-painted and -cut tiles over the blue terrazzo bath tub with white marble surround
Teakwood back plates were made for the reclaimed antique bakelite light switches
I gave the pool house a distinctly Moroccan feel. Here a copper table top against the blue and white floor tiles
The king sized day bed was made in brick and moulded cement. The segmented mirror wall was "antiqued". The lamps were adapted from old decorative columns from Macao
I had this 1 meter wide peacock wall panel made in white fibreglass to protect against the harsh Indian seasons
The mosaic floor detail I acquired in a Delhi tile shop
Soap and shampoo niche, decorated with Buddha relief
AvM infant of finished project
Almost every single detail that you see in these images was made especially for this