Designed by the late Geoffrey Bawa after a period of frenetic work on large-scale projects, Claughton House in Sri Lanka embodies a sense of calm—mirroring, perhaps, how its architect felt building it.
Time had stopped in Sri Lanka, financial executive Brian Brille remembers thinking. In the aftermath of a long war, many parts of the country remained undeveloped, their pristine beauty undisturbed by the frenetic development he was used to seeing elsewhere in the region. Something about this country drew Brille in. The American decided to find a home here.
In 2010, he began to scour the country, looking for just the right property. “We circled the entire island, by car and by helicopter,” he says. “We saw Kalpitiya before anybody had started developing there; we slept in military barracks in Jaffna.”
Brille knew what he was looking for. “What appealed to me were properties with elevation, and with natural beauty.” When he saw Claughton House, he knew he had found both. “It was perhaps the most beautiful view I had ever seen.”
HIGH ON A HILL
Perched on the headland of Dickwella, the villa overlooks the wide sweep of the Indian Ocean. At one edge of the property, a steep set of stairs flanked by coconut trees leads down to a narrow gate, which opens onto a secluded beach. At your feet, the ocean is emerald and turquoise, its surface broken by the lazy roll of waves edged in white froth.
Along with the property, Brille inherited a dog named Rocky. He and Rocky would wake early to watch the sunrise from the living room. They were surrounded by life: peacocks strutted across the sloping grounds, fish eagles glided along the cliffs, and monkeys chattered in the trees bordering the house.
Denne historien er fra May/June 2017-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
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Denne historien er fra May/June 2017-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
IN A TRADITIONAL, OPEN-TO-SKY COURTYARD HOME IN ANEGUNDI, NEAR HAMPI, HERITAGE CONSERVATIONIST, PAINTER AND FOUNDER OF THE KISHKINDA TRUST, SHAMA PAWAR LIVES AND REVITALIZES CRAFT TRADITIONS BORN FROM THE LAND'S RICH PAST.
MATKAS OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FORM, RESIST-DYED SACRED CLOTHS HUNG AS TAPESTRIES, MUD PLASTER OR "LIPAI" WALLS, AND A JOURNEY IN COLOURS AND PODDAR AND EESHAAN PIGMENTS ANUPAM KASHYAP 'S DELHI HOME IS A PURSUIT OF A LAYERED, TACTILE BEAUTY.
Anupam Poddar and Eeshaan Kashyap's generous first-floor apartment in the shadow of Humayun's Tomb harks to a leisurely way of living.
CLASSIC BEIRUT HERITAGE AND GLAMOUR
A COLLECTOR AND ANTIQUE S DEALER, THE LATE HOME, BEIT CHABEB I N BEIRUT, IS A COMING JOE TOHMES GREATEST PASSION PROJECT, HIS TOGETHER OF THE RUSTIC AND THE REFINED.
LAL KOTHI
TEXTILE LOVERS PETER AND CECILE D'ASCOLI TRANSFORM THEIR DELHI FARMHOUSE INTO A KALEIDOSCOPIC FEAT OF COLOUR AND PATTERN.
ATELIERS DE FRANCE
More than 15 million spectators are expected to descend on Paris for the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, and they won't be there to see only the sporting events.
ON THE EARTH
On a bright, breezy afternoon at La Pelota in the heart of Milan-where Hermès holds its annual presentation every springBenoit Pierre Emery, the creative director of tableware, laid out a tray with pieces from the dinner service Tressages Équestres.
JAIN HANDICRAFTS OPENS A STORE IN AHMEDABAD, DESIGNED BY SAMIR WADEKAR, WITH A CURATED COLLECTION DRAWN FROM THEIR SEA OF ANTIQUES.
When Jain Handicrafts, a multigenerational family business dealing in period furniture and objets d'art, showcased their collection at the annual AD Design Show last year, they were amazed by the positive response they received from visitors.
MASTER WEAVER SHAMJI VANKAR TAKES A SLICE OF HIS CULTURE TO XTANT, A HERITAGE TEXTILE FESTIVAL HELD IN MALLORCA THIS SUMMER.
Art is made by a single individual for the enjoyment of another.
RITU KUMAR HOME'S LATEST TABLEWARE COLLECTION DRAWS FROM IKAT AND CHINTZ.
Ritu Kumar's home collections have always reflected her love for handlooms and Indian art forms. Be it intricate Mughal art or elaborate Kashmiri booti, the table linen, serveware and even glassware borrow from traditional motifs.
SIX DECADES SINCE ITS ORIGIN, BAREFOOT IN COLOMBO REMAINS DEDICATED TO LATE FOUNDER BARBARA SANSONI'S LOVE OF HANDLOOM.
Amid a kaleidoscope of colours in the upholstery section of Barefoot's store in Colombo, the rolls of material stand out for their vibrant variations of green.
