Canines under an open sky

At a Bengaluru home by ma+rs, muddy paws find their way across sunlit puddles on granite floors

06 May 2025

In Bengaluru, this home didn’t just have to sway its homeowners but also had to win over a few very discerning canine friends. Set on a spacious parcel of land in the hush of Devanahalli, on the northern edge of the city, the 3,500 sq ft home designed by ma+rs opens up like a curious play between indoors and outdoors, humans and pets, structure and spirit.

When the family sat down with principal architects Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray of ma+rs, they arrived at a clarity of a refreshing kind. It came with certain non-negotiables — four bedrooms, sprawling public spaces and a garden big enough for three playful dogs.

“Thinking not just about humans but also animals when working on this home added a new dimension to our design process” — Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray

Home, with a side of outdoors

The homeowners desired a spacious dwelling where gardens outnumbered walls. And the architects took the cue, bringing their vision to life with a home where walls seem almost incidental. “A major chunk of the site in the front and rear has been left open as gardens for the dogs to run around,” explain Anisha and Sabyasachi, exemplifying design that gives equal thought to its human inhabitants as their canine companions. The architects carve out generous gardens across the site, leaving the centre for residential spaces.

Between gardens and walls

“The project has been designed to respond to the climate of the tropics, keeping ventilation and natural light as one of the key factors while designing,” Anisha and Sabyasachi affirm. A shaded walkway and entrance patio invite you, hinting at the unhurried rhythm that fills the home. Inside, a strong east-west axis organises the experience. On either side, the private block houses two bedrooms on each floor, each opening to quiet sit-outs.

At the heart of the home, a lush courtyard draws light, while a staircase climbs up, with service rooms tucked discreetly. As you move along the axis, the house unfurls into its most expansive gesture — living, dining, kitchen — all gathered under one high, light-filled canopy that theatrically spills into the backyard. Gardens press into glass, courtyards tug the sky closer and the boundary between the indoors of the home and outdoors fades into something softer, almost instinctive.

A wooden swing sourced from ANM Gallery in Karaikudi, invites moments of repose; Photography by Atik Bheda

A home where luxury is spelt between sunlight and shadow, muddy paws and sunny mornings; Photography by Atik Bheda

Built to belong

In a world obsessed with the newest and the next, ma+rs stands firmly away from current trends. The material palette reflects this ethos. Exposed concrete slabs cut down on future maintenance and lend a raw finish to the ceilings. Vitrified tiles offer a practical, clean surface underfoot indoors, while outdoor spaces are paved in locally sourced Sadarahalli granite. A simple palette allows for a clean, minimal space that allows life to layer the home naturally over the years. “Keeping this in mind, we have created a timeless, minimal climate-responsive space, to which the family can keep adding and subtracting over the years,” Anisha and Sabyasachi add.

A kitchen designed for both form and function, featuring lights from The Purple Turtle and Oorja, knobs and handles by Studio Made and Kajaria tiles; Photography by Atik Bheda

A home that embodies quiet luxury

Designing for humans is one thing. Designing for an energetic, spirited, tail-wagging trio is another sport entirely. And ma+rs has mastered it with style. “Thinking not just about humans but also animals when working on the project added a new dimension to our design process,” the architects share.

While every project at ma+rs emerges from its own context and client conversations, certain threads run deep — a sensitivity to place and an honest reverence for local materials and craftsmanship. In this home, these principles are woven together, with quiet luxuries. Muddy paws find their way across sunlit puddles on granite floors, while the murmur of a breeze drifts through a shaded courtyard, allowing graceful reminders of life gently unfolding in all its forms.