Once more with feeling

What to keep in mind when building a second home.

Living in the middle of the concrete jungle of the city, many of us would like a second home far away from the madding crowd. Second homes for retirement or recreation, a place for weekends or long stays — farm houses, cottages in the hills or get-away-from-it-all villas on a beach — need not be as functional or practical as your primary urban dwelling. They should be built with passion, and with attention to design and detail for comfort, style and finish.

Prioritise
Focus your energy and budget on the rooms where you and your family spend most of your time. The emphasis should be on multiple rather than single use, creating a space which is both a sanctuary and one where you can spend extended periods of time with family and friends. So each area of the house needs to have special attention paid to it, and each space should have a character of its own.

Living areas
Living rooms should be casual spaces spilling out to the outdoors with verandahs, decks and gardens.

Furniture here needs to be minimalistic, yet easy to maintain — sofa chairs where kids and dogs are allowed to sprawl or rugs on which your friends can spill a bit of wine after a casual dinner. Fill the place with books and music for the ‘lived in’ feel.

Play with colour, going bolder in the living and dining rooms; this will not just make them more interesting but also account for harsh wear and tear. Light colours in the bedrooms will make them both inviting and relaxing.

If you have a home theatre system, avoid using reclining chairs and instead install deep, down-filled lounging beds with multiple sized pillows for extra comfort.

The kitchen
The kitchen should be large, open and child-friendly, as it tends to become the focal area on a family holiday. It should have lots of space for storage so you can easily store produce from your garden as well as freeze foods you may have brought along with you from the city. It must be a space that appeals to both the aspiring chef and the microwave cook. Equip the kitchen with appliances such as a dishwasher and washing machine/dryer to minimise work.

Dining in the kitchen is practical yet a lot of fun, so make sure the arrangement accommodates that option, but eating out on the veranda or deck can be romantic. Don’t make a choice, just have both options on the menu.

Inside outside
Maximise ceilings and window heights to extend the house into the outdoors. Windows should frame unusual views — snow capped peaks, the setting sun, or cherry blossoms. After all, these are the reasons you have chosen to live here, so be sure to make the most of it.

Try to use local materials and artisans. This adds flavour to a modern structure. Use unusual and forgotten materials and elements in balconies, dormers and columns, and juxtapose them with large contemporary glass panes. Learn while you build — everything from the basic elements of landscape design, to understanding the local culture and idioms of building

Use the best in security, heating and cooling systems conserve resources as most remote areas are severely power and water deficient. Install a few conveniences for luxury and relaxation — private pools, bathrooms with Jacuzzis and rain showers, French windows and motorised blinds, and such like.

Connect with the landscape and use imagination to add a quirky charm to each room — for example, use coloured pebbles from a nearby stream or an antique sofa chair for a vintage look.

[The writer is a Delhi-based interior designer]