Mumbai-based Soka Design Studio—led by interior designer Sravanya Aditya Pittie—was tasked with creating a holiday home in Jodhpur for an affluent Marwari family who have extensive businesses in the same city. They were commissioned to design a 5,000-square-foot house which was spread across a two-acre property with gardens, an outhouse for the staff, and accommodation for the family’s pets. The architecture of the house has an Indo-Saracenic style, with verandahs, four balconies attached with the bedrooms, and large windows and doors for cross-ventilation and sunlight. The structure, a creation in Dholpur red sandstone (featured image), was barren when the design team stepped in, giving them a clean slate to work on.
The large living-dining space is wrapped in floral wallpaper from Cole & Son. Two identical, bespoke oriental carpets by The Weaver are spread out across the marble floor that’s laid out in a contrasting geometric pattern. The plush sofas and coffee tables are by interior designer Jai Danani; and the cushions were sourced from Bombay 50, Fendi Casa and Westside. Some printed cushions were tailor-made to match the wallpaper.
This console with blue inlay panels displays a Prabhavalli from an ancient South Indian temple, which was bought from an antique store in Kerala. To make it grander, Pittie fitted a mirror in the centre and placed it on a marble stand.
Past and Present
The brief Pittie received was detailed and lucid, “This holiday home was to be designed for a small family who’ve built many hospitals and temples with well-defined Rajasthani architecture. They are proud of their heritage and wanted their home to have a Marwari vibe, yet be modern. The family entertains regularly, holds bonfires in winter and plays the piano in the evenings. So, the home had to be able to accommodate all these activities. Plus, as their horses and dogs move around freely around the property, they wanted the house to be low on maintenance too,” shares the designer. No structural changes were made to the site, however one of the four bedrooms was converted into an office space with a separate entrance. In the other three bedrooms, walk-in-wardrobes with luggage racks and ample storage spaces were created.