A Love Letter To Colonial Splendour: This Indore Villa Revels In Symmetrical Cornices, Chandeliers And Classical Paintings

Plunged into the throes of modernity, Indore’s skyline is a miscellany of concrete-and-steel high-rises, gated townships and increasingly utilitarian apartment buildings. Eulogising mid-18th century Indo-European grandeur, Hukum Villa at Sampat Farms, by contrast, feels nothing short of a time capsule. Set on a 7,415 sq. ft. plot, the luxury residence spans a built-up area of 10,930 sq. ft., with expansive courtyards and manicured lawns softening the structure’s imperial form. Its prepossessing marble exterior, double-hung sash windows and symmetrical cornices are all stage players in a heartfelt riposte by Manish Kumat Design Cell against contemporary minimalism.

"I remember the first interaction with my client. He said, ‘I don’t want anything which is boxy or aligned with the urban skyline.’ The façade was done in Mocca marble from Portugal, and to emphasise the colonial character, all the windows were kept vertical," explains Manish Kumat, the Principal Architect at the Manish Kumat Design Cell.

FACT FILE

Ornamentation with a Purpose

The homeowner’s brief was lucid enough: Colonial styles, a profusion of marble, ornate wainscoting and beige-toned walls. Manish Kumat, the principal architect, had to find a way to distill these elements into a composition where form would not supersede functionality. This is how the synthesis of the home’s architectural blueprint came about, shedding the meretriciousness of Baroque and Rococo styles in favour of a more restrained Neoclassical language. From the southwestern periphery of Hukum Villa, a driveway leads into the trapezoidal estate, flanked by a serene green lawn and the soft burbling of a fountain. As one steps inside the home, a double-height passageway with chequered flooring creates a striking, geometrically precise impression. This black-and-white marble motif recurs throughout the corridors. To the right of the passage lies a tastefully appointed home office with a compact waiting lobby, while to the left is a formal sitting area featuring box windows, parquet flooring and doors finished in PVD aluminium. 

The drawing room is rife with Art Deco, traditional Deccan and French Restoration influences. The windows offer views of the adjacent water body and lawn. The focal point, unquestionably, is the breathtaking handmade Pichwai painting on silk cloth, serving as a culturally profound backdrop that instantly captures the imagination. The room’s structural simplicity is elevated by detailed cornices that articulate the ceiling and walls, underscoring the Colonial visual context. Solid brass wall brackets and an antique-looking chandelier with crystal pendants and fabric lampshades lend a touch of glamour, in keeping with the rudiments of intentional luxury.

Courtyards of Light and Stillness

Further along the passage, the eye is drawn to a distinguished twelve-seater dining area on the right, a space that invites both intimate family gatherings and inner-circle soirées. The elegantly carved teakwood table is a masterstroke of timeless design, its Victorian-inspired upholstered chairs and sinuous curves reflecting a deep reverence for craftsmanship. The dining area is bathed in sunbeams that stream in from a semi-open courtyard, where the indoors and outdoors merge seamlessly, and where the soft rustle of leaves interlaces with conversation.

In the northern quadrant of the house lies the Walk-in Courtyard, a stone-flagged sanctuary that offers a calibrated pause in the journey through the home. Beneath the expanse of a skylight, diffused natural light pours down, shaping a tranquil alcove that inspires one not merely to pass through but to sit, to linger and to reflect. A sculptural wall-mounted fountain forms the centrepiece, its carved face (perhaps an ancient Roman demi-god) etched into a niche framed by delicate pilasters and topped with a decorative entablature. The surrounding greenery deepens a sense of cultivated serenity, transforming the courtyard into both a theatrical moment and the social nucleus of the villa. The formal living area unfurls organically from this courtyard, which stands as a kind of barycentre where light, air and artistry collide in perfect unison.

Under the Grand Dome of Opulence

The formal living area at Hukum Villa is defined by its majestic double-height open volume, which culminates in an elegant dome. The vaulted ceiling, adorned with intricate tracery and trim work, adds to the room’s awe-inspiring ambiance. From its medallion, a three-tiered chandelier gracefully descends. The walls on either side are bedecked with Indian classical paintings and cloaked in a delicious privacy by the soft fall of extra-tall, heavy drapes. The dome above not only amplifies the room’s magnificence but also contributes to its acoustic character. The curved form of the ceiling deftly muffles echoes, ensuring that sound disperses gently and enhancing the contemplative calm of the space.

As one proceeds along the central axis of Hukum Villa, the gaze is gently drawn towards the east, where the pooja area reveals itself. On this level rests the parents’ room, the sole bedchamber on the ground floor, enfolded in the language of classicism. The adjoining kitchen stands as a modular homage to utility revitalized by design. A staircase, hewn from a single slab of Michelangelo marble and fitted with aristocratically-wrought railings, ascends towards an L-shaped landing on the first floor. Here, three master bedrooms await, one for the client and two for his daughters, along with a home gym overlooking the verdant lawn. 

Spaces of Untamed Glamour

The master bedroom is both capacious and elegant, steeped in daylight from multiple apertures and furnished with ornate carved wood that tips its hat to a mid-century revival. The daughter’s bedroom to the north is enchanting with a fairytale four-poster bed, its translucent beige curtains imbuing a genteel femininity to the space. Its stylistic shadow self, the southern bedroom blossoms instead with a comparatively subdued palette of greys and powder blues, emphatically offset by the warmth of chestnut veneer flooring beneath. Every master suite is accompanied by a private lounge, walk-in closet and a decadent bathroom, together creating havens of peerless repose. The staircase rises further to the second floor, where a more contemporary narrative plays out. The son’s master bedroom occupies the south-west, its modern style offering a refreshing counterpoint to the home’s colonial language.

Here, fluted veneer panels and minimalist wallpaper emanate texture and refinement, while the space opens onto an elegantly designed terrace garden. The son’s suite also extends into a walk-in wardrobe that unravels a dramatic washroom, where a sensational mosaic of a leopard commands an entire wall, complemented by an elegant chandelier suspended above. Black Marquina marble envelopes the space, its depth and hedonistic allure heightening the insinuations of rarified luxury. Throughout these sanctuaries, a muted beige palette and intricate wooden carvings uphold the colonial spirit, with delicate floral motifs woven subtly into textiles, wallpapers and accents. Together, these spaces celebrate individuality while maintaining an ethereal harmony, suturing the villa’s aesthetic tapestry into a refined whole.

Defying the Laws of Utilitarianism

"Every time I build in the Neoclassical style," Manish confesses, "there’s a learning curve, because the artisans are not used to the materiality, proportions or skill required to achieve that effect." Yet Hukum Villa emerges as an audacious rejoinder to that very challenge, a living dialogue between eras where the grandiloquence of Colonial and Neoclassical architecture meets the demands of modern life. In a cityscape irrevocably marred by utilitarian geometry, Hukum Villa does not merely borrow from history; it subverts it with ingenuity, allowing the keystone principles of proportion, balance, and ornamentation to envisage a home that feels at once ageless and uncannily personal.