A Home…and a Piece of the Sky!

A bungalow in Bengaluru with charming octagonal rooms delicately circumvents the trees on the plantation property which it sits on. Varsha Phatak Reddy explains to Devyani Jayakar that she has retained the original holiday home atmosphere in the sizeable extension to this home, making it functional for the larger family which now occupies it.

This was originally just a 1,000 sq ft two bedroom home on a plantation property in Bengaluru,’ says Varsha Phatak Reddy. ‘The owners, a young couple, had invested in it in 1999 and then left it untouched for some years as they resided abroad.’ The location – close to the city – yet endowed with a peaceful serenity and lush greenery prompted the clients to make it their permanent home after they decided to move back to Bengaluru. But when their family grew with the addition of two children, they needed a larger home…hence the extension.

Varsha’s educated guess is that the octagonal shape of the original rooms was derived from a desire to retain as many trees as possible. ‘Though very basic and small, the bungalow had a very laid back vibe and unique octagonal shaped rooms, most likely derived and prompted by the decision not to cut any coconut trees – a total of 12 on the property. In my extension, I decided to continue with this vocabulary, creating additional rooms which follow the same shape,’ she says. ‘The distinctly holiday home vibe provided me with the opportunity to showcase the artefacts acquired by the owners on their many travels.’ The precast octagonal pavers in the garden and terracotta tiles in the terrace areas discreetly echo the octagonal house.