Hill view

The outdoors live inside this home,and once indoors you are transported far from the madding crowd,in a cottage in the hills. The trusses on the ceilings remind you of old houses in Shimla,Mussourie,Kasauli,while the winding wooden staircase reminds you of an era gone by. The open kitchen leads to a deck or machaan and what lies ahead is a mountain,lined with pines and foliage you see uphill,and it’s simply breathtaking. Huge glass windows give you an uninterrupted view of outside,while the interiors a beautiful and understated blend of wood and marble makes the place feel and look cozy and comfy. “The idea was in my head and heart since years,even as a child I loved the feel and adventure of the outdoors,the calmness and greenery of the mountains and the feel of a cottage and so this home is an extension of my personality,” smiles Aditya,who has done the entire interiors and worked closely with the architect to make the impossible work. An engineer,who is into the wood business,Aditya even designed the furniture keeping in mind the concept of the place,the log-wood bed being a unique idea. Spread over two kanals,the landscaping began a year before the construction,keeping in view that the place had to be close to nature and blend of the inside and outside,” adds Rajshree,a city-based psychologist and career planner. “The mud and stones that we took out from here were used to create the contours of the mountain and put the grass in just two days. It took about two years to complete,” Rajshree is working on a basement area and is importing bamboos from abroad. “It’s our kind of place,” smiles the couple. Welcome home…