Clean, linear and monochrome, this home is about spartan comforts

Space Matters

A strict colour palette defines Tanya’s space: Almost entirely black and white, with some green. The visuals are clean and linear, with white walls, grey floors, and black and white art. The green inflections in this austere scheme are from the deep shades of the yam plants in her open terrace garden. “I grew up in a large joint family. We lived in a big house with a big backyard, and my family loved to entertain.” says Tanya. To mimic some of that openness in this simple flat, Tanya got the builder to break down internal walls and extend her living space into the open terrace. The garden is wild, lush and is a pretend jungle shielding her from the city.

Her home has three bedrooms, a large living room with a dining space, two terrace gardens and two kitchens. As I wonder why she has two kitchens, I remember reading about her Ammama’s kusinchya (grandmother’s kitchen) in Tanya’s book Eating with History. Her Latin Catholic grandmother loved to cook and entertain. Tanya picked up the same flair for cooking and one of her kitchens is reserved for hearty, spicy, pungent Kerala curries like the varutharacha fish curry, fish made in roasted and ground coconut paste, while the other kitchen is for light, quick meals.

Art Matters

As I sit in her living room, the black and white art on the walls stands out. Tanya grew up steeped in the arts. Her father is an actor, poet and filmmaker. Her grandfather was a patron of Chavittu Nadakam, a colourful Latin Christian dance-drama theatre. “The beauty of growing up in my household was that no one forced you to do anything. You could really follow your heart’s desire. Whether it paid you or not, was your problem.” says Tanya. Her early exposure to art and her art activism is evident in her selection of works. I am drawn to the large charcoal drawing by Akhil Mohan. It is a sketch of grains and symbolises abundance to her. She has a black and white sketch of a woman by Artist Priti Vadakkath that came out of a workshop on the female body. There is a multi-layered sketch by artist Bhagayanath that depicts a man wrestling with his numerous selves. In it, I see Tanya and the many roles she’s had to play. I ask her what this space gives her. “I feel settled. The timing was perfect, too. As we went into the pandemic, I had the ideal place to retreat to, read my books, sit in my garden and think of all the things I wanted to do. I spend most evenings in the garden.” says Tanya.

The bare space allows her to be. It is a blank canvas for all that she is and all that she wants to be. It is comfortable enough to hold all the aspirations of a young woman who grew up in a large family surrounded by art. And it is ideal for a woman who wants to chart her own course. As I walk away, I understand how conducive her home is for deep work, reflection and healing. Her home is an extension of her, simple, minimal and comfortable. It's the kind of place I’d like to build some day. With the soft jazz still playing in the background, I walk away feeling inspired by women making their own homes.

Maneesha Panicker owns a bespoke travel company called Silk Route Escapes, and a 4-room island hotel called Kayal Island Retreat in the backwaters of Kerala.