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    For The love Of Simplicity And Lakeside Living: A holiday home in Kamshet by The Red Brick Studio

    JAN 21, 2025 | By Pooja Prabbhan Srijith
    A perfect retreat near Uksan Lake — the home is surrounded by the beauty of nature; Photography by Sohaib Ilyas
    The white walls and the black floor provide a neutral backdrop for the pops of colour that appear in the furniture and the artwork; Photography by Hemant Patil
    The Oblique House is an idyllic escape on days when all one year after is solitude, with a warm concoction and book of your choice; Photography by Hemant Patil
    The bedrooms gently nudge one toward rest and relaxation, enhanced by an airy and uncluttered design; Photography by Hemant Patil
    Custom designed metal French doors, manufactured by the studio themselves, open completely to connect the spaces to the outdoors; Photography by Hemant Patil

    Steering clear off the ubiquitous narrative of what a modern day holiday home should look like, the Oblique House in Kamshet, Maharashtra serves the purpose of a second home — an airy, frills-free weekend pad for a peripatetic couple and their dog.

    “This house attempts to be honest, bare, and minimal to a point of being almost frugal; created to serve its primary function — an intimate space to disconnect, considering the complexity of the terrain and beautiful views of the Uksan Lake,” shares Ankur Kothari, founding partner alongside co-founder Anil Poduval at The Red Brick Studio, a design firm that gave this wood bedecked minimalist haven a robust facelift.

    Custom designed metal French doors, manufactured by the studio themselves, open completely to connect the spaces to the outdoors; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    The white walls and the black floor provide a neutral backdrop for the pops of colour that appear in the furniture and the artwork; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    Colour, colour on the wall! The large modern artwork by the client lends a casual chic vibe to space; Photography by Heman Patil

    Practicality in simplicity

    A quick home tour of this 1,650 sq ft den, comprising a living, dining, open kitchen, master bedroom and guest room, immediately sheds light on the design, creating a positive environmental impact by prioritising function over form. “The planning of the house is akin to a simple cruciform plan, where the central arm along the slope is embedded in the ground and the other is stilted and sits lightly on the ground,” he outlines, highlighting how the layout ensures minimal damage and ground impact to the existing terrain. 

    The presence of natural lime plaster helps keep the interiors cooler during the sultry summers and the breathable capacity of the plaster ensures that the moisture does not retain in the walls; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    The house is planned in such a way that the majority of it is set on stilts, causing minimal damage to the existing terrain; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    The bedrooms gently nudge one toward rest and relaxation, enhanced by an airy and uncluttered design; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    The landscape was kept very raw, choosing hardy native trees and wild grass over more manicured alternatives; Photography by Hemant Patil

    The entrance  opens into a lobby with a skylight at the centre of the house, which bathes the stairwell in sunlight. “The central mass has a slight tilt in plan, which not only opens up the views of the living room towards the lake, but also aligns the bedroom towards the setting sun,” Ankur enthuses. The home sees use of fly-ash brick walls and basalt stones, besides other raw, eco-friendly materials like river sand for plastering.

    Simplicity and a judicious use of materials is what sets this holiday home apart from its nouveau contemporaries; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    Overlooking the untainted Uksan Lake; this home serves as a frills-free escape — punctuated with minimalism — prioritising moments of rest and relaxation; Photography by Hemant Patil

     

    A perfect retreat near Uksan Lake — the home is surrounded by the beauty of nature; Photography by Sohaib Ilyas

    Immersed in biophilia 

    When quizzed to choose a spot that makes one feel most alive, Ankur is quick to point to the deck spanning across the living area. “Once you step into it, the built structure is completely left behind allowing one to completely be immersed with the sights and natural surroundings,” enthuses Ankur. 

    And, in a way, it makes perfect sense as this is a home that serves as a shelter to bask in nature and its marvels, which is best realised when one is at the edge of the deck.

    Now Read: TAB blends sensory architecture with seclusion and sustainability in a Kochi home