MY SERENE HAVEN - CHANNA DASWATTE

IN HIS STUNNING COLOMBO HOME, THE RENOWNED SRI LANKAN ARCHITECT CHERISHES MOMENTS IN HIS LIBRARY, PLAYING HIS BABY GRAND PIANO OR LOSING HIMSELF IN A FAVOURITE BOOK. HE WARMLY WELCOMES HELLO! INTO HIS SANCTUARY BATHED IN NATURAL LIGHT AND ADORNED WITH PERSONAL MEMENTOS THAT HOLD STORIES CLOSE TO HIS HEART

- SHRADDHA CHOWDHURY

Located in suburban Colombo, a short distance from the National Parliament Complex, is the quiet neighbourhood of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, dotted with plots for homes with rather wild gardens. The untamed vegetation does little to take away from the place, instead adding to it with its natural aesthetic — much like the home of one of Sri Lanka’s leading architects.

Calm is how Channa Daswatte describes his humble abode. Calm and contemporary — traditional, with architectural elements that are decidedly tropical-modern.

“It’s full of light as it’s essentially an open pavilion with only three spaces: the kitchen and two of the bedrooms that are conventional rooms with walls. The openness and free flow of air and light were the only design aspects I knew I wanted from day one,” he shares, describing his ventilated quarters that mingle with the verdant environment over 1,200sqm of land.

WELCOMING, OPEN SPACES 

Hugely popular in India, Channa is one of the minds behind the recently opened Dr Savitadidi N Mehta museum in Porbandar, Gujarat, and Ganga Kutir resort on the outskirts of Kolkata. He also redesigned the Mumbai home of businessman Jay Mehta and actress Juhi Chawla, as well as Mehta’s family home in Porbandar and the Bengaluru residence of Bimal Desai, renowned theatre actor-director. Channa’s “outside-in approach” to design is a testament to his love for nature — he’s known to build around foliage and not disturb what arrived first — as is his predominant use of wood and fondness for natural light across properties that bear his signature. Simplicity in architecture is his aesthetic, and he lets elements like wooden furniture and unexpected patterns and colour pops add drama to spaces.