Casa Terra

Casa Terra is a 2,800 sq.ft residence taking shape in Kavanadu, Kollam — a study in contrasts where soft terracotta lime-plaster volumes rise from a grey cement-finish plinth, meeting a screened terrace garden between the two floors.

Sculpted parapet curves crown the terracotta blocks, echoing the arched sky and softening the geometry against the Kerala coconut canopy. A punched pattern in one wall lets evening light bleed onto the front court, while a fine cast-in-place jaali on the other end filters the western sun into the upper bedrooms.

The plan zones itself gently — a foyer, formal living, dining, working kitchen and pooja on the ground floor around a foldable-table dining space, with a master and guest bedroom flanking the sitout. Upstairs, an open double-height overlooks the dining, two more bedrooms sit alongside walk-in wardrobes, and a wrap-around open terrace catches the monsoon breeze.

Currently under construction — a home built to age into its landscape as slowly as the terracotta warms with the sun.