Vedalila

A weekend house shaped by sandstone walls, water courts and a sequence of linked spaces is organised around a mature neem tree and a lily pond. The arrival turns these existing natural elements into a calm threshold between street and house.

On the ground floor, the living, dining and drawing rooms open directly onto the garden and pool. Large glazed openings let them work together for gatherings, while deep reveals and planted edges temper the strong sun. At the centre, an east to west double-height living room takes daylight from a circular skylight, a shared volume rather than a corridor that anchors the plan and connects activity across levels.

Three staircases make distinct routes. One descends to a lively basement with its own entrance, where a floating bridge crosses water beside a sunken courtyard, so the lower level can work on its own while staying linked to the rooms above. A suspended play net and the open stair make movement part of daily life. Upstairs, three bedroom suites form a more private realm, and an angled volume and a gazebo project towards the landscape and pool.

Random rubble sandstone gives the house its main language. Sloping walls, arches, deep openings and louvres work with the stone to give shade, texture and enclosure without cutting the interiors off from the garden.