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Living in style
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The intricate jharokhas with a stunning combination of wood and marble reflect regal splendour in the home of Remani and Mathew Daniel
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After two decades of staying abroad and travelling the world over, one would expect Remini Mathew's new home to be a museum of souvenirs. Instead, one finds that her house is an architectural melange of Rajasthan and Kerala. "We were in Rajasthan a few years back. I was so fascinated by the architectural beauty of the place that I couldn't resist borrowing a few ideas for my home," says Remini. But she was very particular about adhering to the original architectural features of Kerala. "She insisted on having a house with a nadumuttam, a courtyard that one finds in the centre of a typical Kerala home," adds her husband Mathew Daniel.
Interestingly, Rajasthani houses too have an open courtyard, called pol in the centre. For the Mathews, a perfect way to chill out would be to sit in the courtyard and watch water spout out of the marble fountain. The multicoloured pebbles around the fountain glisten in the sunlight.
The courtyard is surrounded by walls with jharokhas or windows that one finds in the palaces and forts of Rajasthan. The difference is that at Mathews' home, these are carved in wood instead of marble and are within the walls of the house, partitioning one room from the other. Better known as gokhra in Rajasthan, these windows are famous for their intricate lattice-work. The tracery of one of the jharokhas has been replicated from the Amer fort. The design on the front door has been inspired by yet another fort. The fanlights above the front door and windows have been paned with stained glass.
Wood-and-marble is the fabric of the entire house. The inlaid flooring in each room has been differently patterned in varieties of marble quarried out from Rajasthan. Udaipur green, Jaisalmer yellow, and the light green Kota stone are set against the white Makrana marble. The wood work, engravings on the wooden cornice around the courtyard, frieze above the jharokhas, panels of wood along the baluster, and the oblique ceiling formed by step-like wooden bars are stunning. The centrepiece in the drawing room, a large crystal bowl of potpourri, adds a dash of colour to the interiors. Bedspreads, cushions and a gemstone painting with portraits of empresses are some of the things that are reminiscent of Rajasthan. Adjacent to the pantry and dining room is a dinette, a private and cosy place for the family. The dinette offers a splendid view of the green hills on the other side of the house.
"The dinette and the master bedroom being more private for us, we decided to make them different and less formal and have used maple parquet for the floors," contend the couple.
Mathews' belief in Vastu has added dimensions to the house. "As Vastu does not allow a room to be completely shut off from any side, I put a tiny decorative window on the wall between the courtyard and the bedroom," explains Mathew. The house reminds one of a haveli of the Mughal times. Well, if you have chosen to live in God's own country, why not live in regal style?
SHABINA KHAN
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