House of Bliss

A family home on a generous Chitradurga plot

House of Bliss stands on a 3,080 sq ft site, which is roughly double the standard plot in Chitradurga, and the brief from the family was simple: a house that breaks the monotony of the street and stands out, with a garden that is actually used. With 3,130 sq ft of built-up area, the house did not need to fill the plot, so the plan gives ground to a stilt parking floor and an expansive garden, and lifts the living spaces to the first floor where they catch the light and the breeze.

The east-side entrance is a deliberate choice for Chitradurga. Morning sun on the porch, a skylit living room that stays bright through the day, and the harsh west sun kept off the main rooms. Orientation costs nothing and it is the single most effective thing a plan can do for comfort in this climate.

How the plan works

The first floor holds the grand porch, the living room under its skylight, the parents' bedroom with lavish interiors, the kitchen and dining, and a balcony. Keeping the parents on the same level as the living areas means no stairs for them in daily life. The children's and guest bedrooms go up to the second floor, where a road-facing balcony garden gives views and a connection to the outdoors.

The entertainment spaces, a gymnasium and a bar unit, are placed in the balcony areas with maximum privacy, so the family can host without opening up the bedrooms. This is a home built around how a Chitradurga family actually lives: parents on the main floor, children above, everyone together in the garden and on the balconies in the evening.

Green in every direction

The plan works the garden into the layout rather than leaving it as a leftover strip. From the porch, the living room and the balconies there is always something green in view. In a town where summers are long and dry, a well-planted plot changes the temperature around the house and the mood inside it.

Is a home like this right for you?

If you have a larger site in Chitradurga, Hosadurga, Holalkere or the surrounding villages and want a house that gives as much to the garden as to the rooms, House of Bliss is the reference. See SK Glass House for a larger villa on a similar idea, or ask us for a site visit. Mr. Tippeswamy, the owner, has shared his experience of working with us on our home page.

Skylights and the Chitradurga sun

A skylight in Chitradurga is a gift and a risk. Done well, it fills a living room with even daylight all year; done badly, it turns the room into an oven by March. At House of Bliss the skylight over the living room is sized and oriented to bring in light from the cooler side, and the stilt floor below keeps the living level away from the heat and dust of the street. Together with the east-facing entrance, this is a house that is bright in the morning, comfortable at noon and pleasant on the balconies in the evening, without depending on air conditioning for most of the year.