Set within the dense older neighbourhood of Royapuram in Madras (Chennai), this 250 sq. m. residence responds to the challenges of urban living. The design creates light-filled, private, and connected spaces within a tight site. The home was designed for a doctor and his family, including his elderly parents. His daughter, an orthodontist, also lives with them. The brief sought to integrate the family’s traditional values with her preference for modern, minimal aesthetics.
A Modern Family Home in Madras Balancing Tradition with Minimalism | Kattadaco
The central courtyard in this madras home became the organizing device of the home. Anchored by a native tree – Walsura Trifoliata and wrapped by a staircase, it introduces natural light, ventilation, and a shifting spatial experience across levels.
The ever changing play of natural light, reflected on the white marble floors, bringing in a sense of dynamism to the interiors throughout the day.
High compound walls extend up to the ground floor lintel level, ensuring privacy while opening the house into its setback areas, turning the constraints of the tight plot into opportunities for openness.
The layout merges drawing and dining into a continuous space, while also accommodating four bedrooms, a study, and a puja area. The terrace, often a neglected utilitarian zone in urban houses, is reimagined as a multifunctional gathering place. Framed by beams that hold vertical shade nets, it balances privacy with openness and is landscaped with local flowering trees to create a rare oasis within the city fabric.
Material honesty defines the project. Indian marble sourced from Kishangarh, Vengai timber, exposed concrete, random rubble masonry, and hand dressed stone steps, all bring depth and texture while celebrating the craftsmanship of local artisans. Custom-made wooden furniture, built with age-old joinery techniques, reinforces the house’s tactile and timeless quality.
Minimal in its aesthetic yet rooted in tradition, the house balances restraint and warmth, modernity and memory. It offers its inhabitants a place of stillness and intimacy in the heart of the city, a quiet family home where light, craft, and nature come together.
Fact File
Designed by: Kattadaco
Project Type: Residential Architecture & Interior Design
Project Name: 37 VM RESIDENCE
Location: Chennai
Year Built: 2022
Duration of the project: 2 Years
Project Size: 2510 Sq.ft
Principal Architect: Ar. Jaya Sriram Anand
Team Design Credits: Ashwini Sivakumaran,Shruti Raghunath & Akila Rajkumar
Photograph Courtesy: jaya_sriram
Firm’s Instagram Link: Kattadaco
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