Serene Hillside Villa
A weekend retreat set into a sloping coffee estate, built to blend into the landscape.
Location:
Coorg, Karnataka
Project Area:
4,500 sq ft
Plot Size:
1.5 acres
Completed Year:
2023
Duration:
16 months
Materials:
Local granite, glass, timber, weathering steel
Project Brief:
A family with a coffee estate in Coorg wanted a weekend home where they could slow down. They asked for four bedrooms, a large living and dining space that opens to the valley, a pool, and enough room for friends and family to stay.
Challenge:
The site slopes steeply, which makes construction difficult and expensive. A traditional flat-platform house would have meant moving a large amount of earth and cutting mature trees.
Design Approach:
Stepping down the hill. Instead of levelling the site, the villa follows the slope in six terraces. Living spaces sit on the upper levels for the best views, and bedrooms step down below them. Very little earth was moved, and no mature trees were cut.
Outcome:
The villa feels as if it grew out of the hillside. After 16 months of construction, the family uses it nearly every weekend, and the estate’s coffee harvest now ends with long lunches on the terrace.
