Embracing Nature

Driving through the winding narrow roads in Malappuram district in Kerala brings us to the site overlooking the lush rubber plantation, which is abundantly grown in and around the gradual slopes, camouflaging the house from plain view.

- Nikhil Mohan and Shabna Nikhil

Project: The Skew House, Kerala

Architects: Thought Parallels, Kerala

Spread over an acre of land is the house which has a modern tropical design amalgamated with traditional architecture. The design of the house utilizes the extent of the plot exceedingly well. The design accommodates the brief of the family which was to create distinctive guest and family spaces. This clearly leads to the formation of two blocks – the guest block and the family block, connected with each other by a semi-private living area.

The guest block houses a living, a prayer room, and a bedroom arranged in a linear form. The presence of the prayer room prompted the architect to align the block along the traditional direction of pray, thus creating a tilt and breaking the initial parallel axis between the two blocks, hence deriving the name ‘The Skew House’.