Every home has a story, but Mriya is a story that begins with a dream. A dream cherished, nurtured, and finally realised. The name itself, Mriya, meaning “Dream,” captures the essence of this red house, the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration to create a sanctuary that feels deeply connected to its land and life.

The Red House Is A Dream Cherished, Nurtered & Realized | i2a Architects Studio

Set within a site wrapped in the fragrance of nutmeg trees in Varandarapilly, Thrissur, Mriya was conceived as a poetic contrast. A bold, contemporary red house rising amidst the softness of nature. Yet, it was never meant to dominate. The guiding principle was to belong, “to let the home breathe with the trees and light, allowing architecture and nature to exist in mutual respect.”

A Sense Of Coexistence

The design emerged from the desire to retain as many of the existing nutmeg trees as possible. Every decision, from the placement of walls to the positioning of openings, was shaped by this fundamental intent. The architecture thus became a process of coexistence, where nature was never erased but rather framed, embraced, and celebrated.

The architects envisioned Mriya not as a static structure but as a living entity within its ecosystem. The built form interacts constantly with the site like light filtering through leaves, shadows dancing across walls, and the presence of trees integrated within the architecture itself.

The Vegetation

The retention of vegetation was not a constraint but a creative opportunity. The architects thoughtfully designed courtyards, pockets, and openings to accommodate trees, maintaining the existing ecology while enhancing spatial quality. They interweaved the built mass of the red house and the landscape so that Mriya feels less like an object placed on land and more like an extension of it.

Visual Identity

The visual identity of Mriya comes alive through projecting cuboidal masses that define the facade. These dynamic boxes, composed of solids and voids, create depth, shadow, and rhythm giving the home a sculptural character. This composition establishes a plus and minus effect, where penetrations in the built form allow light and air to slice through volumes, softening their geometry.

The porch merges seamlessly into the architectural language of the house rather than standing apart. A fin wall extends along the front edge, serving both as a visual anchor and a green screen. It becomes the mediator between the architecture and its natural backdrop, maintaining continuity and scale.

Preserving The Nutmeg Trees

One of the most endearing gestures in the red house is the preservation of several nutmeg trees and a mango tree. Within the porch, the architects punctured the roof slab itself to allow these trees to grow freely through it, symbolizing the idea that nature leads and architecture follows.

The Central Axis

Spatially, Mriya unfolds along a central axis that organizes the home from entry to courtyard. The planning is simple yet deliberate, ensuring fluidity, light, and cross ventilation. The journey begins at the sit-out, which acts as the first threshold, a place of pause before stepping inside. The main door opens to a double height central volume that serves as the heart of the house, visually connecting floors and drawing daylight from roof through strategically placed skylights.

To the eastern side of this axis lie the living, dining, kitchen, and work area. These are all oriented to capture the positivity and warmth of the morning sun. Large east facing windows flood the interiors with natural light during the early hours, a conscious decision to infuse the home with the optimism of dawn.

The western side accommodates the bedrooms, ensuring privacy and shading during the warmer part of the day. This dual orientation creates a rhythmic balance, openness and activity on one side, retreat and rest on the other.

The Double Height

The double height void acts as the spatial pivot, breaking monotony and infusing grandeur without unnecessary expansion. Rather than stretching horizontally, Mriya achieves spatial richness through vertical play and volumetric layering. The architects further enhanced the sense of volume by linear skylights, which bring the sky indoors and illuminate the central core with a gentle wash of light.

The material selection for Mriya was guided by the intent to reflect warmth and tactility. Microtopping red on the floors and doors brings a bold yet earthy undertone, grounding the space in warmth and passion. Lime washed walls soften the vibrancy, lending a calm, breathable texture that evokes traditional sensibilities within a modern form. The landscape is composed of Bangalore stone, Mexican grass, and handmade sculptures which complements the natural ruggedness of the site while introducing artisanal finesse.

An Interplay Of Voids

The interplay of solids and voids, along with vertical grill patterns and fin elements, helps achieve visual balance between linearity in plan and verticality in elevation. This fusion of proportions lends the structure a timeless elegance. Every element, from the shadows cast by fins to the slender handrails, contributes to the overall calmness of the composition. Nothing feels forced, everything grows naturally out of the larger idea of simplicity and belonging.

Landscape design in Mriya follows the principle of necessity and sensitivity. The architects measured every intervention. They retained the nutmeg trees almost entirely, and open spaces were carved out based on what the land demanded rather than what was convenient. Two reflective waterbodies flank the sit-out. One beside the living room and the other adjacent to the parents’ bedroom. These bodies of water act as natural coolers, reflectors, and tranquil elements that visually lighten the mass of the building.

The Waterbody

At the heart of one waterbody stands a red human sculpture. A striking artistic statement symbolizing the fulfilment of a dream. The sculpture painted in deep red, appears to radiate energy outward, as if the dream once imagined has finally come alive. The warmth of the colour diffuses into the space, embodying the emotional essence of Mriya.

Light is the invisible material that defines Mriya. From early morning sunlight seeping through the eastern windows to the soft evening glow filtering through the fin wall, every beam of light marks the passage of
time within the home. The linearity that begins in planning extends through details, from the grills to the
vertical fins that stretch upward. This continuity of lines gives Mriya a sense of cohesion and rhythm, turning simplicity into elegance.

Open Yet Intimate

Despite its minimal vocabulary, Mriya is emotionally rich. It is not defined by scale or ornamentation but by how it feels, ‘open yet intimate’. Mriya is a home where architecture doesn’t overpower nature but learns from it. It is a composition of humility, restraint, and poetic precision. In preserving trees through roofs, framing greenery through walls, and letting light choreograph the interiors, the residence becomes more than a structure, ‘it becomes an experience.’

Fact File

Designed by: i2a Architects Studio

Project Type: Residential Architecture Design

Project Name: Mriya – “The Red House” 

Location: Thrissur, Kerala

Year Built: 2025

Project Size: 3225 Sq. ft

Principal Architects: Ar. Manuraj C R & Ar. Arjun K J

Photograph Courtesy: justin_sebastian_photography

Firm’s Website Link: i2a Architects Studio

The Firm’s Instagram Link: i2a Architects Studio

Firm’s Facebook Link: i2a Architects Studio

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