Sea-sure? Yellow Door Architects crafts a tropical home amidst the hills of Tirupati

Imagine living in a tropical haven, surrounded by lush greenery and sweltering breeze. Now, envisage a deeply historic city known predominantly for its religious and cultural significance. Contrasting images, aren’t they? But that is exactly what Yellow Door Architects has achieved with this 9,750 sq ft home in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. They’ve crafted a five-bedroom home entrenched in the Sussegad style of living — with each space reading like a different chapter of a best selling book — in the midst of a traditional town. 

Much of the home reflects contemporary minimalism, but taking after its own ethos of contradictions, it intrinsically adheres to the principles of Vastu. Principal architects, Joshua John and Juhi Patel say, “The site posed unique challenges: it was surrounded on three sides by neighbouring buildings. The solution was to create an inward-looking oasis, orienting living spaces to embrace natural light, breezes, and greenery.”

Breeze, Brass and Bali

Since they were endowed with the task of both its architecture and interior, the three storeyed home opens with a bewitching terracotta breeze block facade and a custom wood and brass door. A timber clad staircase leads up to the first floor, featuring a living and dining space, kitchen, parents’ bedroom, family lounge, daughter’s bedroom and balcony. A deep emerald sofa, furniture and furnishings from Bali and stunning brass elements make up the living room at the rear. A black dining table is the focal point of the dining space, adjacent to the balcony. The connected library and lounge area speak different languages; the library is eclectic, with swirl marble flooring and an abstract rug, while the lounge is warm, wooden and white. Idiosyncratic wooden seating sourced from Bali gives it that added oomph.

One of our favourite spaces is undoubtedly the daughter’s bedroom. Reflecting off her deep love for sea diving, the teal green feature wall and flooring with sea motifs transform you to a swim along the sea bed.

The home has a lounge area for every mood. Kadappa flooring on the second floors forms the backdrop to a lounge with the most plush sofas, rattan seating and not your run of the mill bar cabinet. 

Most reminiscent of a tropical vacation, the son’s bedroom comprises bright blue flooring and a ceiling for the tropics. The tribal artwork above the headboard is the best of Bali. One can go from the beach to watching the panoramic view of the mountains while lounging on the cane chairs in the balcony before you can say Yellow Door Architects in this house. 

Sunbeds. A metal pergola. Sourced from Bali, is the theme for the terrace that overlooks the mountains and the waterfall. 

Earthy hues and hill views 

“The home follows a cohesive theme of tropical modernism with subtle variations to enrich the experience across different spaces. While the material palette and façade maintain consistency, the vertical layout offers unique experiences at each level, adding an element of surprise and exploration,” elucidate Joshua and Juhi. The layering of natural earthy hues and finishes, of marble and stone and wood, against bamboo and curated natural elements align with their design philosophy of crafting liveable, nature-integrated spaces.

Entrenched in sustainability with terracotta breeze blocks and natural materials, this tropical home is a haven surrounded by the hills. 

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