A Kochi home that reflects India’s many design trajectories

For more contemporary and practical ideas, she also dog-eared the coffee table books of French architect Joseph Dirand and Nate Berkus, the American interior designer first made internationally-famous on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her starting point was the understanding of what she did not want in her home. “I’ve shot a lot in high-end five-star luxurious spaces,” she says. “That kind of polished, glossy, luxe-ness wasn't for me.”

Coming From Anywhere

Every single thing, from chair and fabric to crockery, was sourced from within the country. “You won’t believe just how many people and small businesses I found on Instagram,” says Anvitha. “These businesses go out of their way to customise designs for you. It also works out cheaper because they have no overheads like the big stores. The great thing about India is that everybody’s on Whatsapp. Even if someone can’t do something for you, they always know someone who can and connecting with people is so easy,” she says.

The house is completely plastic-free--even the dustbins, which Anvitha commissioned in concrete, a raw silk lampshade was customized by an artist in Pondicherry, a cane lamp shade made its way here from a street vendor in Vagamon, a hill station in central Kerala. In the kitchen design, all the work surfaces are Indian marble and granite. Natural tactile textures stand out everywhere, on rugs, carpets, and other accessories, most made out of natural material like banana and hemp, which also make these objects sturdy and child-friendly. “I’m always looking for tactile, natural materiality which forms a patina over time,” she says. “When I put things together, I’m trying to build a conversation between the various pieces of décor and furniture. I don’t see them as isolated pieces.”

Anvitha says she’s learned a lot about the design process and understanding herself on this journey of creation. Even for people who have an eye for design and an aesthetic sensibility, bringing a space together can be challenging. “If you’re designing your own home, I’d say a good place to start is your wardrobe. See what colours you tend to wear most. That tells you a lot,” she says. By finding things they liked, mind-mapping other spaces that felt right for them, and paying attention to the way they inhabit a space, the couple was able to really edit and curate objects, colours and patterns, to make a home that they fit right into. And for anyone who feels really overwhelmed by choices, a last piece of advice from her: “Don’t rush, always sleep on it.”