Is time turning around? Many people now prefer the taste of tradition. They want to imbibe traditional features with modern amenities when designing their home or apartment. If you ever love Kerala-style contemporary homes and want to design your oasis with an influence from Kerala architecture to the tune of your taste, then you must incorporate and imbibe some elements to make your home or flat unconventional and artistic.
A bit of modernity and a byte of tradition can make your home extremely elegant, relaxed, and livable.
Character of Kerala Homes:
Contemporary homes in Kerala embrace natural, earthy materials to respect local traditions. You can see a lot of traditional architectural elements like sloping roofs, courtyards, and verandas while embracing open floor plans.
You can find a quiet emphasis on cross-ventilation and connection with nature inherent in Kerala's traditional architecture, which is retained in contemporary designs with the incorporation of large windows, airy spaces, and indoor gardens.
Elements to Incorporate Kerala Architecture into Your Flat:
A Place for a Calm Connection: In every Kerala home, you will find a central courtyard that serves as a beautiful place to connect with yourself, with family members, and with nature. You cannot incorporate the courtyard into your flats, but you can arrange a calm and cozy space in your flat. You can arrange a comfy wooden chair with a little greenery near the window to make a place for yourself.
Wood is the mood: Kerala homes are incomplete without extensive use of wood. Wood sets the house's tone with a little earthy and natural charm. You can use wood in different ways, like wood doors, frames, accents, and wall panels in rich tones or dark finishes, wooden flooring and ceilings, or just beams and rafters in the ceiling.
Materials and Finishes: Traditional materials like wood, terracotta, and natural stone bring the taste of tradition. You can balance the taste of tradition with modern finishes, such as polished concrete floors or sleek tiles, that seamlessly complement these traditional elements.
Carves and Curves: Traditional things are about authenticity. You cannot bring authenticity to imitation. Intricate wood carvings, handwoven textiles, and traditional artwork will be good enough to bring the authenticity of tradition with audacity.
Elements to Incorporate Kerala Architecture into Your Home:
Sloping Roofs:Sloping roofs are the most adorning external elements of old and independent traditional houses in Kerala. The roof overhang is suspended very low to protect the timber from rain. Now people are trying to incorporate this sloping look into entryways, windows, balconies, and terraces.
Indoor Courtyard: Courtyards are the central character in traditional Kerala homes. This courtyard is a treat of tranquility that can create a spark of communication. These courtyards encourage cross-flow ventilation and are enough to make you experience the light of the sun, drops of rain, and the greenery of indoor plants.
Playful Pillars: The Dula/Kannalu pillars are specific and special in Kerala. But while building new houses, even people are trying to bring Chettinad pillars, which are traditional pillars of Chettinad, Tamil Nadu. Wood and stone pillars can playfully enhance the ambiance of the space.
Arches: Arches are beautiful and can add functionality. If you are bored with linear structures, then arches are good for unique interiors or architectural styling with a touch of elegance and sophistication. They create a sense of openness and grandeur, especially when connecting larger spaces.
Athagudi Tiles: Handcrafted Athagudi tiles from Tamil Nadu have a unique place in contemporary Kerala homes. These tiles, known for their vibrant geometric patterns and rich earth tones, add a touch of heritage that transports you back in time. Their intricate designs bring a sense of old-world charm to modern spaces.
Low-Sill-Level Windows: If you want to seamlessly savor the greenness of your home garden or the soothing serenity of backwaters, low-sill-level windows are a must. You can have an expansive view of the surroundings with a sitting arrangement near windows, and you can feel the breeze through the window.
Brick Screens, Terracotta Jalis: Terracotta jalis and brick screens are more than decorative elements in Kerala architecture; they are ingenious solutions that weave together privacy, comfort, aesthetics, and natural climate control through air circulation.
Design is not derivative; it's the creation of essence with authenticity.