Interactive floor plan: Tea Garden House, Coonoor

Offsetting the surrounding rolling hills of Nilgiri in south India, as well as its highly contoured and organic site, this house, located near the small town of Coonoor, was conceived as a simple contemporary pavilion.
Designed by RMA Architects - based in Mumbai and New York, and headed by Rahul Mehrotra - the structure was created in response to a request for the existing operational tea garden to remain untouched. Respecting the client's decision, the architects worked on a modern, linear structure that sits right at the edge of the plantation, making the most of the garden's views.
The architects' design suggested a 'large roof under which would sit different rooms organised as independent cabins' and the roof certainly dominates the final structure. Finished in stainless steel panels, the its surface is an eye-catching feature in itself, but the roof also acts as a blurring of boundaries between inside and out, bringing glimpses of the surrounding nature into the interior through its reflections.
Internally, wood serves as a unifying element to the design. The teak wood used is complimented by the finished concrete of the main circulation spine that connects the house's rooms; several bedrooms, including a guest suite, lounge, living and dining areas, as well as kitchen and service rooms.
Contextually comfortable, yet distinctly modern, the house overlooks the tea garden remaining in dialogue with its surroundings. 'It is refined and complete, yet with potential for dynamic change through seasons, time, and visual extensions of space,' say the architects.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti