In Kozhikode, the perfect second home for an NRI family

We meet Ranjit Menon in Kozhikode in one of the poshest gated colonies of the Keralan city. Ranjit, who turns 44 next month, and his 39-year-old wife Renuka started planning their retirement home already a few years ago. They currently live in Bahrain with their two children – daughter Nanda, 14, and son Jay who is 6. Ranjit is a successful entrepreneur in Bahrain and their kids love their life in the small but modern Arab state. But like any NRI family with ties to India—parents and friends they love and miss while outside—the Menons spend most of their vacation time in this city they grew up in. This two-year home building project they took on with designers Nikhil and Shabna of Thought Parallels, a Kozhikode-based architectural firm, is a plan for their future when they finally retire. But then, it is also an investment in their present.

Nikhil and Shabna helped break down and create a contemporary family home. When we first see it, it is a surprise to learn that this home, which seems so spacious, bright and airy is only 3500 square feet. The home has been built on a 15-cent plot; the designers sectioned the narrow plot into two blocks for the home, and the remaining space for the garage, entrance and patio. The front block has been designed as a single-storey “public space” that includes the living room, dining room and entertainment room. The second is a two-storey structure that houses the couple’s bedroom, kitchen and puja room, and moves upstairs into the children’s rooms. 

In fact, the designers even added pieces of décor and soft furnishing they found on their travels from Rajasthan, Punjab and Maharasthra. “We became very good friends with Ranjit and Renu through the process and all of us travelled together to pick up pieces for the home,” smiles Shabna. But they have been conscious about their limited use of colour indoors – the surrounding lush garden and plants indoors are the main source of colour. “We wanted all the attention to be on the landscape,” adds Nikhil.

Ranjit tells us his kids love the house. Jay has made the entire lower floor his playground and loves running around the rooms, while Nanda likes to practice her ballet in the courtyard next to the dining space.