This Farmhouse in Karaikal is a Minimal Material Masterpiece!

A bridge between rustic themes of living with nature and contemporary finishes enabling modern comfort, the House on the Farm by Architecture Interspace nestles volumetric play in a verdant paradise.

Located in a quaint village in Pondicherry, this vacation home envisions a getaway from urban bustle. Cocooned amid sandalwood trees, fruit orchards, and paddy fields, the ancestral half-acre land is a haven, sure to help reconnect to the inner soul.

Echoing this serene context, the design attempts to capture the emotions and energies of the land. Raw appeal and the timelessness of natural materials evoke the simplicity of rural life while extending it to present-day culture and context, a core idea of the design. With a limited footprint of 140-square-metres, an efficient micro-climate comes forth, minimising impact on nature.

A beautifully landscaped buffer flanks the residence, only allowing strategic peeks at the farm as it lies nestled amidst vegetation, away from the street. Volumes ebb and flow, jutting out and caving inwards in orthogonal geometries to allow the greens to flow inside. Following primary aspects of Vaastu, two cuboids, each housing the living-cooking spaces and the bedrooms, make up the architectural plan.

A contemporary take on traditional courtyards, pockets of outdoor spaces and open courts aid a dialogue between the indoors and outdoors. A deck-and-plunge-pool and an open deck outline the dining on either side, converting it into the focus of the design in essence and in plan.

Materiality also plays hero here – locally sourced corten-effect steel boxes punctuate openings, breaking the monotony of concrete. A recessed plinth allows the architectural form to almost float ethereally, a few inches off the ground plane. This also reduces the visual weight of the concrete cuboids, for a design that mimics the distinct tranquility of its landscape.

Inside, rustic minimalism abounds. Birthing a wabi-sabi flair, black-and-white tones complement warm earthy wood accents, where lime-based polished grey-oxide walls and black vitrified tile flooring anchor the spaces, while brightly coloured furnishings infuse vibrancy as the space comes to life, bathing in captivating light filtering in through the foliage.

Perfecting the art of inserting minimal, unintrusive form in a landscape replete with lush charm, this farmhouse is a minimal material masterpiece.

Fact File:
Client: Mr. Prathaban
Design Firm: Architecture Interspace, Pondicherry 
Principal Designer/Architect: Ar Goutaman.P & Ar Madhini.P
Built-up Area of project: 1400 sq. ft.
Carpet Area of project: 1100 sq. ft.
Project Location: Karaikal, Pondicherry
Photography credits: Yash Jain