The exotic pearl of the week | An Indian country girl, between tradition and modernity

We scour real estate sales sites around the world to find properties that arouse curiosity or conducive to daydreaming.

This country house located in the south of New Delhi stands out in many respects, in particular by a unique construction based on traditional principles and by an environmental concern. The rules of the Vastu shastra were applied to it, an age-old architectural art guiding the construction of dwellings and temples, their integration with nature, the geometry and the orientation of the rooms, while taking into account Hindu beliefs – a kind of Indian feng shui, in short. In the case of this property, the access to the land and the front door of the residence have, for example, been oriented towards the east.

Many motifs evoke nature, such as the stained glass windows on the facade, each depicting one of the four seasons. In the vestibule, a courtyard furnished with statues is surrounded by 300-year-old teak pillars. Arches, vaults and domes are recurring motifs, sometimes allowing light to filter through from the ceilings – chasing shadows is one of the important principles of the Vastu shastra. Many noble materials were used to build walls and floors, such as yellow stone from Jaisalmer (north-west of the country), covering some floors of the property.

There would be a lot to say about the different elements of the residence and the atmospheres created over the rooms, always with reference to nature, the whole being located in the heart of a vast six-acre site.