The stream running through a plot in West India's Alibag largely directed the design solution for this brand new house by Mumbai-based practice Architecture Brio. Photography: Sebastian Zachariah
House on a Stream by Architecture Brio, India
House on a Stream by Architecture Brio, India
The house is a weekend retreat for a professional couple working in Mumbai, whose main residence is a pied-à-terre in the city
The architects - headed by the firm's founders Robert Verrijt and Shefali Balwani - designed parts of the house to lift gracefully off the ground, underscoring a sense of lightness
Inside, the house's rough plank-finished concrete is offset by spacious, minimal white interiors and plenty of rich brown timber-framed openings that include a dramatic, centrally placed skylight over the kitchen space
The structure is arranged across two parts: the day areas, which consist of the dining, kitchen, living room and an outdoors space...
...and the sleeping quarters that contain the master bedroom, wardrobe and en suite - joined by a small bridge over the stream
The architects have brought the owners as close to the surrounding nature as possible
The bedrooms are poised to catch the evening sun, while the large floor-to-ceiling windows carefully frame the green landscape around the house
The rooms' orientation was determined with the region's tropical climate in mind, with strategically placed openings above the bathroom...
...as well as the shower, allowing plenty of natural light into the abode
The kitchen and dining rooms were designed to sit at the heart of the house, a gesture that reflects the owners' passion for entertaining
Instead of being carved from a single volume, the home is composed of several smaller elements, both closed and open. Most areas have their own verandas, some open, some covered by pergolas