Dine amidst a textile archive

At Terrai in Hyderabad, Sona Reddy brings a textured take on Telangana’s roots

07 Apr 2025

ADMIN

The ikat-patterned door handle is the first tell. You’re pulled into an alternate world. Inside, the air is thick with texture. Kota stone and black granite underfoot. Terrai is certain in its identity. “The name itself became a symbolic starting point.” says designer Sona Reddy, “Derived from terrain, it reflects the land’s topography, cultural richness, and materiality. This theme of connecting to the land became the guiding principle throughout the design process.”

In a restaurant, when you notice the walls before even skimming through the menu, you know something is different. Designed by Sona Reddy Studio, Terrai is an experience that immerses you. It moves like a memory, one part textile archive, one part daydream. The ceiling sports a flamboyant oversized checkerboard, bold enough to make you look up mid-bite.

Textures and passage of time mark the space; Photography by Pankaj Anand

HAUTE HYDERABAD

For an old city to have found itself as the capital of a newly formed state, the duality of the ancient and the future courses through Hyderabad. You can feel the same in Terrai’s terracotta walls and the kaleidoscoping stained windows that cast shadows across your table, marking the passage of time.

Wood, handcrafted and layered, adds narrative depth, while brass details nod to Telangana’s Dokra traditions. Sona approach balances nostalgia with restraint. There’s no mimicry here, only imagery distilled and abstracted. Terrai wears its heritage on its sleeve without losing its intensity. As the enchantment of the walls starts to wear off, you notice the flooring. Black granite and Kota stone are set in ikat patterns that carry the rhythm of the loom. Overhead, the ceiling mirrors the floor in a bold checkerboard of weave-inspired geometry, creating a push-pull between grounded and graphic.

Warmth of the sun dapples on the walls; Photography by Pankaj Anand

Entrance to the restaurant; Photography by Pankaj Anand

SLOW BURN

Apart from the iridescent stained glass, light illuminates the story of the restaurant. Bathukamma-inspired installations bring sculptural drama overhead, softening the architectural rhythm with bursts of festival energy. “The space was designed to engage all senses,” avers Sona, “Textured walls invite touch, stained glass installations play with shifting light, and greenery interwoven within the architecture creates an evolving atmosphere.”

Outside, a metal grid enclosure is designed for time. For vines to grow, curl, take over. The transition from inside to out is a play of materials and mood, staying in conversation. There’s structure, but softened. Intentional, never rigid. At Terrai, storytelling comes layered in how the surface moulds itself, lit by colour, and grounded in craft. It’s regional identity, reimagined for the now — quietly confident, richly atmospheric and impossible to forget.