A 150-year-old Goan home gets a soothing makeover by Studio Praia

When Nandita Sharma, the owner of a quaint heritage home in Goa wanted to update the interiors of her residence, she reached out to Rochelle Santimano and Nikhil Doshi, principal designers and co-founders of Studio Praia. Their design practice, rooted in the sunny state, has been carefully restoring Indo-Portuguese villas, giving them a tropical modernist touch since its inception in 2020. Partners in real life and on the job, the co-founders are cognisant that their designs respect the heritage, culture, climatology, and materials of the region, ensuring that their work achieves a fine balance between the past, present and future. “Praia is a Portuguese word that translates to land by the sea, and to us that means Goa. Conceived during the pandemic, our ethos has been to be respectful of the land we build on, and through our designs we strive to be grounded, rooted, and contextual,” shares Rochelle. “Praia is also an acronym for the work we encompass: products, restoration, architecture, interior architecture,” adds Nikhil.

Sticking to the design brief of breathing new life into the 150-year-old Goan home while ensuring the the interiors are a reflection of the owner’s personality, the team embarked on a 10-month-long makeover journey. Christened Casa Saligao, the holiday home got its first round of architectural refresh by the Goa-based architectural practice, Amit and Associates earlier, before Studio Praia was roped in for its interiors. Belonging to a family of three, it features three bedrooms and common spaces spread across two storeys and 3,000 square-feet. It is the family’s second home that they often return to when in need of some rest and rejuvenation. “Nandita described this house to be her dream home. Her personality is bold and confident and her taste is refined. She wanted this home to be a calm and soothing haven for her to retreat to and unwind in,”explains the duo. While architecturally the charm of the heritage structure shines through, Nandita wanted the interiors to be a space that exudes warmth, comfort, and a sense of belonging while still capturing the essence of Goa.

To ensure this, the first order of business for Studio Praia was to enlarge certain windows and doors, and add a few more to bring in more natural light and ventilation, and also showcase the greens that were surrounding the house. “Since we were working with an old house with thick laterite walls, we had to carefully create openings to prevent disrupting its original structure. As with most old homes, introducing structural changes in cohesion with the existing walls and roof is a challenging aspect, but we managed to carry it out successfully,” says Cressida Lobo, the firm’s interior designer who was also part of this project. Next, they wrapped the living and dining areas in a soft nude limewash for a soothing effect. Balanced with beige and off-white accents that add a touch of subtlety, Studio Praia also introduced natural wood furniture and charcoal-black elements to inject a sense of drama and contrast. “We incorporated textures and patterns that add depth and warmth such as jute rugs, block print cushions, paper chandeliers, and terracotta decor pieces. The double height ceiling further accentuated its charm,” shares Rochelle.

For the bedrooms, the designers kept the owners’ style in mind to create their private cocoons. Minimally decorated, the couple’s room features a four-poster bed and a high ceiling, while in the husband’s pad, an ivory-toned limewash envelopes the walls as well as the vaulted ceiling, giving the space a sense of expansiveness. The daughter’s bedroom on the upper floor has a slant ceiling and wooden flooring to create contrast.

Another private space in the villa is the study tucked away on the corner of the upper level. Designed to be almost like a speakeasy, it transforms into a private bar for the husband by night, taking it from work to leisure mode effortlessly. Opening to a terrace that overlooks the pool and the garden below, its deep terracotta-washed walls and wooden beams on the ceiling add more character to the space.

Microconcrete flooring in shades of greige and taupe in the master bedroom, leather kota flooring in the study, and engineered wood flooring in the daughter’s bedroom provide a subtle change in texture and feel as the residents move from one space to another. Art made in-house, decor products sourced from local Goan potters and antique stores, as well as furniture, light, and accent pieces from homegrown brands give the interiors of this Goan home a layered narrative. As for their design inspiration the duo opines, “We’ve borrowed from different styles to create a language of our own, one that is unique to this villa and contextually rooted in Goa. The result is a space that's not just aesthetically-pleasing, but also inviting, cosy, and quintessentially home.”