Editors’ Note – This colonial house in Delhi carries an ambience of grandeur, infused with the elegance of Victorian-style colonialism. Expansive living, dining, and kitchen areas open into light-filled spaces framed by large glazing that connect seamlessly to the surrounding landscape. Inside, tropical interiors with bold geometry add a contemporary layer of comfort. The residence stands as an epitome of long-lost luxury, reviving a sense of timeless sophistication while embracing the ease of modern living. – Yamini Patil
The new relaxed country-styled residence by groupDCA plays out its layered intent over 8000 square feet of area on an acre-sized plot of farmland in New Delhi, India. The decisive colonial house encompasses simple climate-conscious planning to sculpt a comfortable living experience. The ensuing design endows the home with generous spatial proportions. It also maintains a strong sense of understated charm in the grandeur of its overall appearance.
A Colonial House in Delhi Is Turning Heads For Its Country Style Grandeur | groupDCA
While designing for homes, architects have always looked for solutions that allow for intrinsically adaptive environments to flourish. Drawing references from the colonial antecedents of the subcontinent, old British bungalows showcase detailed outdoor spaces in their architectural repertoire. By successfully adopting and adapting the traditional Indian verandahs, the design is a form of respite from the unrelenting heat.
Similarly, in this dwelling, long shaded balconies reminiscent of Victorian ‘wrap-around’ porches, present a studied response to the client’s needs for combined luxury with unfettered openness. The adaptive site design positions the residential block closer to the property’s southwest corner.
A curved driveway brings visitors from around a lush landscaped garden, culminating at a roundabout ‘cul-de-sac’ near the entrance. At the entrance, users walk up a gentle slope to transcend a grey thin plinth that repeats formally on the facade. This denotes familiar floor divisions on the grand white colonial house structure.
This ensures that the shade from the large existing trees eschews the home of traditional heat pockets. All this, while the rooms face the north and the east, basking in the northern lights, and facing panoramic views of a well-designed, landscaped garden.
All through the length of the periphery, tapered white columns bind verandahs and windows together. They create a deliberate rhythm that augurs well with the gravitas of the extended roof overhang.
The vaulted east-facing entrance reinforces direction and flow in the morning when it radiates generous natural light through a double-height volume into the central living area.
A thinner section of the path leads to the rear end of the colonial house. Here the western light casts long shadows across the grand staircase by the end of the day.
Adjacent to the central transept, four symmetric zones divide themselves along preferential lines of views, function, and privacy. They help to instinctively proliferate the hierarchical intent of the design through a traditional symmetric arrangement.
Splitting the palatial house into two, the indented profile of the central living room seeks to include the vast outdoor garden within the building’s footprint.
On the other hand, by splitting the residence between the east and the west, the central transept on the ground floor doubles as a transitional space between the garden-facing living room and the dining area.
The vibrant interior design of every room responds to sharp and subtle tonal differences created serendipitously by the incident Indian sunlight filtering past the individual verandahs.
With a wealth of supple architectural features, the Victorian influences imbue the home with a valid sense of timeless warmth. Their consistent application lends a new softness to the majestic aura of the place with its large-scale rooms, fireplaces, vaults, and ornate cornices.
Characteristic rooms personalise space with custom wall paneling while chandeliers unite with modern lighting to illuminate bespoke furniture and upholstery.
Panels of purposeful wainscotting add to the overall grandeur while fulfilling specific functional needs in designated areas. Rich colours, parquet wooden flooring, and slender window sections fill the space with thoughtfulness and warmth while simultaneously regaling users of a bygone era.
In all of its endeavours, the robust design intent utilises classical planning tropes to promote adaptive spatial combinations that cater to the ever-changing postures of modern cosmopolitan living.
Nestled within the outdoor garden, the independent gym structure additionally houses a set of separate toilets that cater to the outdoor party requirements of the residence while tucking away subterranean servant quarters below.
In the larger context of the site, the country-house-styled design actualizes its landscaped gardens and strategic water bodies to improve upon time-tested microclimatic ideas that blend holistically with the derived typology of the structure.
Fact File
Designed by: groupDCA
Collaborators: Prêt-fab
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: House of Verandahs
Location: Bandh Road, Chhatarpur, Delhi
Year Built: 2023
Plot Area: 41322.65 Sq.ft
Light sourcing: Paras Decorative Light
Furniture: Gaurav Gambhir
HVAC Consultants: Vertex
Principal Architects: Amit Aurora & Rahul Bansal
Team Design Credits: Amit Aurora, Rahul Bansal, Ashish, Sudhanshu, Abhinav & Junaidh
Photograph Courtesy: jeetin Sharma
Firm’s Website Link: groupDCA
Firm’s Instagram Link: groupDCA
For Similar Project >>> Step Inside This House in Baroda Where Every Corner Is Filled With Plants
The site is located in Ahilyanagar town of Maharashtra, with a design brief of 7,000 sq feet, while the house had to be designed for the hot and dry climate, which responds carefully to extreme temperatures, intense sunlight, and low humidity. The design focuses on reducing heat gain, improving natural ventilation, and creating comfortable indoor spaces with […]
“Pravah” — A House That Breathes is envisioned as the main concept of this home revolves around a fluid, light-filled home where architecture becomes a continuous experience of movement, air, and connection. Located in Pal Gamtal, Surat, the project is a residential redevelopment on a 1,850 sq.ft. plot within a dense urban fabric. The site, […]
SapanoUday is a contemporary residence that balances material rawness with layered textures and crafted detail, aligning modern living with cultural and spatial sensibilities. Designed by Hundreddesigns, the home responds closely to the client’s routines and artistic inclinations while thoughtfully integrating Vastu principles. HundredDesigns The designers defined the architecture through a minimal palette, using exposed concrete […]
KRIPA is a residence that reflects the personality and lifestyle of its homeowner — calm, open, and rooted in nature. The project focuses on creating light-filled, green spaces with minimal private zones, encouraging openness and connection. In a time when spaces are shrinking but expectations are rising, architecture becomes the medium to bridge this gap […]
The Sculpted Sanctuary is a masterclass in modern minimalist design. The project focuses on “Quiet Luxury”. It is the idea that a space doesn’t need bright colors or flashy decor to feel expensive. Instead, it uses raw natural materials, rich textures, and sharp architectural lines. This Home Is A Masterclass In Modern Minimalist Design | […]
SIDHARTHA, is a four-bedroom modern house which is functional and aesthetic driven by the specific needs of the client. The location of the site is in a dense neighbourhood in Bengaluru, India. The contemporary urban dwelling frequently negotiates competing demands. It balances generous daylight and visual connection to the street with privacy, dust control, and […]
Located in HMT Layout, Bangalore, Isha_Srinidhi Nilaya stands as a multi-generational home designed on a compact 60×40 ft (2400 sq. ft) East facing plot, with a total built-up area of 8000 sq. ft. East Facing a lush public park, the residence responds to its urban setting through a layered design that balances privacy with a […]
Timeless architectural features, such as courtyards, are always associated with bringing the naturally public forms to the world’s heart, building the most peaceful, secluded outdoor areas. These outdoor spaces maximize the living experience with their private space feature, which gives one the option for leisurely relaxation, recreation, or gardening. Furthermore, it has also been a […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]
Plants for home garden, apart from making houses look more beautiful and inviting, add health and calmness to them. Having any kind of indoor plant, a herb plant or a flowering plant adds some value to your decor and the quality of the space. Always choose plants that will flourish in your space and climate. […]