Of Sri Lanka, from India

Bodhi Design Studio crafts a landscape-led home where Sri Lankan modernism meets Indian artistry

09 Jul 2025

Cradled on a verdant slope in Varthur at Bengaluru’s edge, this home by Bodhi Design Studio rests on a 4,300 sq ft east-facing plot that gently tilts north. For the homeowners Shinny and Sunil, a couple with Kerala roots, global eyes and a deeply intuitive sense of space, it was never about building big. It was about letting the trees frame the walls, the slope guide the flow and the sun shape the soul of the home.

Drawing on Sri Lankan tropical modernism and layered with Indian craft, Amirah Ahamed, Principal Architect, brought a grounded design ethos. One that favours flow over formality, natural materials over polish and long views over loud statements, sprawling across 5,523 sq ft.

“The house was imagined as an extension of the land itself rather than something superimposed on it" — Amirah Ahamed

A quieter lounge with bold printed armchairs, a sculptural stone coffee table, and a statement round window that frames the garden like a living artwork. Tucked away but bright, it’s a space that feels both cosy and connected; Styling by Fymin Naif and Nimitha Harith; Photography by Justin Sebastian

Architecture amid nature

At the heart of the home, a triple-height staircase crowned by a stained-glass oculus becomes a cinematic moment, as sunlight spills across the exposed brick surfaces. The spatial rhythm continues upward to the first floor where a double-height library forms the anchor around which private spaces rotate.

Each bedroom is positioned to capture light in its own way. The grandmother’s room and one daughter’s suite face the east corridor wrapped in perforated corten steel panels, the master bedroom and the other daughter’s room open westward to uninterrupted treetop views. A long corridor bridges the two wings, housing a pantry and utility zone while also serving as a quiet retreat.

A home theatre, guest suite, bar terrace and home office play out across a breezy layout laced with long sightlines and soft thresholds on the second floor. According to Amirah, “The house was imagined as an extension of the land itself — rather than something superimposed on it.”

A double-height stairwell with open wooden treads and a circular window looking into the garden. The landing leads to multiple rooms and the base is layered with pebbles and curved concrete seating; Styling by Fymin Naif and Nimitha Harith; Photography by Justin Sebastian

Styling by Fymin Naif and Nimitha Harith; Photography by Justin Sebastian

Tradition told through craft

From Moradabad-forged copper pendants to custom terrazzo consoles, every element is informed by touch, time and tradition.
Black and white marble inlays meet earthy plasters, while cane-weave details balance modern silhouettes. Patina teal accents reappear as railings, tile inlays and fabric details echoing the clients’ personal palette and tying the house together with visual quietude. Furniture is sourced with intention. Even the powder room which is tucked away off the living room celebrates detail with a teal concrete pedestal basin, burnt orange lime-washed walls and patterned tiles.

More than just a hallway, the veranda-like corridor bridges public and private with intention and grace; Styling by Fymin Naif and Nimitha Harith; Photography by Justin Sebastian

Rising gently with the land, the home’s silhouette blends into the landscape like it was always meant to be there; Styling by Fymin Naif and Nimitha Harith; Photography by Justin Sebastian

A home in harmony with the land

The project’s commitment to sustainability runs as deep as its aesthetics. Solar panels power much of the home. Cavity-rich porotherm blocks insulate the interiors. Cross-ventilation and thoughtful placement of service areas reduce energy load. And because the house was designed in harmony with its site, cooling is intuitive, not mechanical.

As the sun arcs across Varthur’s sky, shadows slip gently through perforated panels and treetops rustle against long verandas, revealing the soul of a space designed not to shout, but to stay. It is a house that hums with restraint, one that mirrors its inhabitants: thoughtful, intentional and forever in tune with the natural world.