In a forest moulded by the mountain

A mountain lodge by Bricks & Beams celebrates context and cultural memory

15 Aug 2025

Despite (and because of) its envious location overlooking a lush valley, the path to this stone lodge in Wayanad, Kerala remains unforgiving, especially when hauling construction materials down to its final level. The physics of the effort was not lost on Dinakar Manie and Ram Krish, lead designers at Bricks & Beams, for whom transportation was the biggest challenge. It took fourteen men to carry the 180 kilogram (each) stone benches down the terraced levels, navigating steep and narrow roads winding through the coffee-scented hills. But they believe it was well worth the effort, for in the landscape of glossy contemporary homes that have colonised hill stations across India, this 4,500 sq ft villa, meant as a second home, stakes its claim with rustic surfaces and cultural memory.

“Our brief was very brief. Just that this holiday home has to fit into its mountain context”

Ram Krish of Bricks & Beams

Each of the three bedrooms carries a specific theme while the beds are assembled with wooden logs; Photography by Vignesh Sivakumar

THE MOUNTAIN’S MANUAL

“Our brief was very brief,” laughs Krish, “just that this holiday home has to fit into its mountain context.” The three deliberate levels respond to the mountain’s sloped logic. For a design studio accustomed to working with salvaged antiques and repurposed wood, bringing in a gritty earthiness was second nature. The existing stone walls — part of the original lodge construction — remain unapologetically textured, their surfaces painted white but eschewing the smoothness that contemporary design often demands.

The essential quarters of living and sleeping feature on the first, upper level; the middle tier hosts social zones of guest quarters and bar, leading to the valley-embracing infinity pool and cabana below. But despite the sprawling footprint, each surface carries the weight of conscious selection and every detail was custom-created. From the dining banquette and chairs (that reference the homeowner’s love for medieval dramas) to the kitchen island with the custom six ft reclaimed wood chandelier (housing trailing plants that blur indoor-outdoor boundaries), individual objects that have travelled through time and use arrive at this specific intersection of design and memory.

Reminiscent of a dreamcatcher, the bird-theme bedroom features delicate lacework and leaves blooming above the bed; Photography by Vignesh Sivakumar

The valley-embracing lodge is lined with terraced volumes; Photography by Vignesh Sivakumar

CULTIVATING CULTURAL TOUCHPOINTS

“The design also had to have an international appeal,” says Manie. International here doesn’t mean homogenised. It means thoughtful enough to transcend locality while remaining rooted in place. It’s why the cultural memory surfaces in unexpected, adaptable ways. The Bhavani Jamakkalam — a boldly striped cotton rug originating in the Bhavani village of Erode, Tamil Nadu — spreads beneath bespoke seating inspired by the property’s pebbled porch flooring. “The richly crafted Jamakkalam has been fading from memory in modern times,” Krish observes, with younger generations renting
rather than owning these traditional rugs. Here, it functions both as a rug and a quiet nod to the value of living with (rather than merely appreciating) cultural artefacts. The home is not designed to impress at once, but it rewards attention as one descends down its curated levels. “In the end, it was really about listening to what the land had been saying to us all along,” concludes Krish.

Read now: Inspired by the women who live here, By The Riverside crafts a Bengaluru home