A cubist courtyard home in Thrissur

A Cube for the Courtyard

The design borrows from the Nalukettu, Kerala’s traditional courtyard home, and reimagines it through a contemporary cubic language, hence the name Kubos. A courtyard, nearly 40 feet wide, becomes the organising spine of the house, drawing daylight through an openable skylight and encouraging cross ventilation across every floor. Lush greenery planted within it pulls the outdoors inward, while an arrival sequence framed by limestone walls and a crafted ceiling sets the tone for what follows.

“The central courtyard is the heart of the home,” say Shalini Chandrashekar and G.S. Mahaboob Basha. “It brings light, air and greenery into every level, and turns movement through the house into an experience in itself.”

Front of House, Back of House

The brief calls for a large, efficiently run home that works across three generations, and that ambition shapes some of Kubos’s earliest planning decisions. Service and served areas split apart early on, so staff move through the house separately from family and guests, a distinction that only grows more critical at this scale. To which Taliesyn responds by elevating the entire structure, opening a basement level for parking, plumbing and staff movement, alongside auxiliary functions such as a banquet hall and a private salon, so daily life upstairs never has to acknowledge the machinery running it. 

Stone, Onyx and a Little Restraint

Material continuity carries through the home, with Statuario marble used across floors and bathrooms for visual coherence. A calm, largely neutral palette keeps the focus on natural light and greenery, punctuated by statement moments. A Patagonia marble feature wall anchors the formal living room, while a double height wall of green onyx forms a sculptural backdrop to the dining space. Stone cladding, timber and metal accents add warmth, and hand painted ceilings, bespoke lighting and curated art layer in personality throughout.

Up, Out and Into the Green

A sculptural staircase in marble and wood connects the floors, doubling as a visual anchor for the home. Nearby, an informal living area sits between the courtyard and the paddy fields, functioning as the family’s gathering space, with unbroken views of the landscape. Balancing the scale of the home without letting it feel overwhelming calls for extended balconies, deep overhangs and layered porches, together with large trees and vines trained along the facade, letting the architecture settle into its site.

“The staircase isn’t just circulation, it’s designed as a connector. Marble and wood turn the walk between floors into a small architectural journey, one that stays anchored to the gardens and the sky,” say Shalini Chandrashekar and G.S. Mahaboob Basha.

Across its many volumes, Kubos manages a rare balance, monumental in scale, yet designed to move at the pace of daily life. It is a home built to grow with a family, one generation at a time.

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