Anzal decided to build a home when he felt that he had done with moving back and forth rented houses with his parents. After much hunting, he zeroed in on five and a half cents of land at a quiet lane in Edappally, Kochi, but there the plot had an irregular shape – more like a trapezoid.
“I had in my mind a contemporary home with a lot of air, light and greenery,” says Anzal, who rummaged through magazines and social media to finally spot Shinto Varghese, a designer in Kochi. “We instantly fell for his works. When we approached him, he was more than happy to collaborate with us. He visited the plot and in less than a month, came up with the design. It was perfect; everything we wanted was there in the plan – the beauty, coziness and personal touch,” he says.
The 2,278-square-feet home – a grey-brown structure with plastered walls of cement texture finish – focuses on minimalism. The furniture, décor and the overall appearance sport elegance. The biggest attraction is the living room with its double height walls and natural lighting. The view of this space from the first floor is an unforgettable sight. The vertical pergolas and skylight coupled with a huge window with glass panes let in ample light to the home. On the cement-plastered wall adjacent to the vertical pergola, wooden strips complement the pattern in a similar fashion.
Anzal’s parents Abdul Latheef and Raviya are proud of their beautiful home. They treasure a comment made by a relative of theirs who visited the home for the first time. “What he said is – Mujhe mohabbat ho gaya hai iss ghar se (I have fallen in love with this house),” smiles Latheef. The charm is irresistible. The beige and red sofas with brown and green cushions respectively and a quirky coffee table placed before it are well complemented by the designer rug on the floor. The light that falls on the indoor plants offers the space a peaceful ambience.
From the family living-cum-dining area, toughened glass sliding doors open to a patio, a space that was created from the irregular shaped plot. The grey-white-themed open kitchen on the side of the dining space also reflects the minimal style. “This has turned out to be greater than we had imagined. We didn’t want anything overdone. Shinto has kept it minimal and we have storage spaces everywhere so that nothing lies cluttered anywhere,” says Latheef.
The parents’ bedroom on the ground floor and the two bedrooms on the first floor are designed in personalised themes. While the parents’ room has a bookshelf and an in-built cupboard, Anzal’s soccer-themed room reflects his areas of interest. The brick-design wallpaper and posters of his favourite football players adorning the wall give a distinctive charm to the room. The TV hall houses a long grey sofa and matching rug and curtains. The stairway, bordered with wooden railing, glass panes and GI pipes, links both the floors. The balcony offers a great view of the premises and can double up as a reading area in the evenings.
Anzal lives in this house with his parents and brother Mohammed Albin, who works in Bengaluru. “We are happy about this home. Not just that it turned out to be perfect, but stood within the budget limits, satisfying all our conditions,” says Anzal.
