This Inward-Looking Home In Kerala Huddles Around Its Courtyard

In vernacular Kerala homes, the courtyard known as the ‘nadumuttam’ is the poignant cynosure around which life flows in unremitting motion. In a world of insularity and claustrophobic postmodern architecture, Nālukettu-inspired courtyard homes stand out as beautiful anomalies, where shadows yawn fecklessly, windows open inward, and silence is allowed to settle. Through a free-flowing open plan, an organic textural palette, and sit-out areas soaked in the warmth of the day, the 1,800 sq. ft. dwelling named ‘Hridym’ lures nature to make its ingresses, not by breaking down its walls but by softening the boundaries. Synecdochic of the lush paddy fields, undulating valleys, and mist-wreathed mountain passes found some 30 kilometres from Palakkad, this house is a nuanced take on Tropical Modernism, conceived by the Seethal Design Group.

“It’s not simply a house, it’s a poetic expression. Every element, from the stairs to the washbasin itself, has been collected through extensive travelling, and the right workers were sourced to carve them,” explains Sarath Chakkalakkal, Principal Architect at the Seethal Design Group.

A Ballad of Wood, Clay & Natural Stone

At Hridym, the arrival sequence is transmuted into a voluminous portico that serves as both a welcoming gesture and a gathering space for family and friends. Built-in wooden seating rests light-footed on a cement base, setting the tone for what lies within. Here, hammer-dressed stone, laterite brick, and locally sourced timber do not merely adorn the structure; they compose it. Anchoring this entryway is an archetypal gabled roof, its silhouette wrapped in the graceful terracotta curve of Mangalore tiles.

Revered across generations for their warm familiarity and resilience, these clay tiles are emblematic of coastal architecture. Beneath this canopy, a carved wooden lintel is supported by prominent pillars of Karimpana, or Black Palm Wood. Dense, dark, and full of grain, these pillars stand with the sublime strength of old-growth Palmyra trees that have endured sun, drought, and the ravages of time. Their rounded bases emulate the pot-like kalasam, resonant with motifs of auspiciousness and cultural context.

FACT FILE

Journeying through the Senses

As you enter the precincts of the main residence, your attention is drawn to the pathway leading toward the double-height central courtyard, paved in random rubble masonry. Simulating the subconscious memory of stepping on an exposed riverbed, the floor feels sensorially rewarding. It appears as though the landscape itself is scripting the odyssey of this house, one stone at a time.

At the heart of the home lies a central courtyard, layered with a textural dado of laterite stone that runs along its periphery. Landscaped with Calatheas, lilies, and fragrant grass, the courtyard becomes an arterial sanctum for movement, limpid sunlight, and convective cooling. All three bedrooms, the fluidly configured living and dining areas, the open kitchen, and even the hovering mezzanine are oriented around it, seamlessly parleying between indoors and out. 

An Interplay of Arches and Proportions

One side of the living area is cocooned by a façade of slatted wooden windows and porous jaali blocks, filtering daylight into a theatre of patterns and playful shadows. The opposite side is overhung by a lightweight mezzanine, introducing a sense of intimacy beneath the steeply pitched ceiling. “To provide a balcony, we needed proper height,” Sharath explains. “Since it’s a single-storey house, we incorporated a double-height volume and balanced it with a mezzanine floor,” he adds, unpacking the rationale behind the layout.

Constructed from a slender metal frame with wooden flooring, this elevated retreat functions as a reading nook, a guest perch, or a serene vantage point from which to observe the everyday rituals playing out through the home.

Surveilling this space are the ten-foot-tall pillars made of Karimpana, their age-old strength presiding over the living area like a retinue of time-honoured custodians. A sleek, minimalist TV console runs along one wall, while cane baskets lend a touch of bohemian warmth as wall décor. A curvilinear sofa nestles into the corner, paired with Nordic-style coffee tables that balance lightness with utility.

Arches recur intermittently like stylistic refrains, along doorways and windows, tempering their rugged tactility with a soothing curvature.

These rounded contours are invoked in the spherical bases beneath inbuilt seating and in the sinuous bodies of rattan-backed chairs. Arched thresholds do more than connect rooms; they choreograph movement and perception, guiding the eye-line through gently framed transitions. One such arch leads into the open kitchen, where materiality maintains an understated aura. Citrus and pistachio accents, cane flourishes and fluted shutters lend a freshness to the space, while integrated cabinetry keeps the visual language refined and uncluttered. 

To Withdraw in Solitude

All three bedrooms are arranged to face the courtyard, ensuring both privacy and a lingering connection with the verdure within. Modest in size yet affectionately composed, each room follows the home’s introverted rhythm through inconspicuous fenestrations, inward-facing louvred teak windows, and timbered cornices. Arched doorways emerge as punctuation marks. Within, the design palette leans toward the ascetic. Brutalist ceilings, a green dado running along the lower half, and natural finishes imbue a moody austerity to the interiors.

The furniture is hewn from wood and cane, pared down in profile yet deliberate in placement. Wardrobes feature arched cane inserts that elicit the family’s fondness for rolling curves. There is a quiet lucidity to these rooms, found not in perfection but in thoughtful 'wabi-sabi'. Subtle shifts in tone, gritty textures, and visible grain are not concealed. They are offered openly, held to the light.

In a world drawn to polish and symmetry, this home finds its soul in what is threadbare, fluid, and evolving. Here, solitude becomes essential. It is not emptiness, but presence in its most honest form.

An Homage To Slow Living

“It’s about the raw feel, the little imperfections in everything, the cracks we decided to retain,” Sarath muses. These choices are far from incidental. This is not a home preoccupied with spectacle or symmetry. It is shaped by slow living, by memory, and by a gleaming synchrony with nature. Footsteps fall on stone, worn smooth by time and weather. At its heart, the courtyard becomes a fountainhead for organising movement, marking time, and enfolding people into its stillness. As twilight gathers, colossal birdcage-like lights begin to glow. Suspended in a celestial cluster above the courtyard, they take over where sunlight leaves off.