A filmmaker couple's 1,500-square-foot Manali home is a rustic haven with Bohemian accents
Representative photo: Pexels
TharbusDesigns created a montage of memories to bring to life a couple’s cosy hill house, for the ‘perfect, slow Pahadi life’.
Published on Architectural Digest India, 12 June, 2024
When Rohan Thakur (Ronnie) describes the eight months (and time leading up to it) he, his wife Bharati Bahrani (Barty) and their interior designer Sherab Zangmo Tharbus, spent working on their 1,500-square-foot Manali home, his voice is emotion-filled. Almost as if echoing the raison d'etre of its filmmaker residents, the home doesn’t just speak, it emotes.
The mise-en-scène is telling — a double-height Deodar wood ceiling with skylights, designed by Ronnie’s father and glass partitions, for a sense of openness in the living room. Large windows offer views of the mountains and magical light changes as the day (and seasons) progress. Ronnie perched on slightly wider-than-normal furniture, for his afternoon naps, inextricably linked with the ‘perfect, slow Pahadi life’. Pops of colour and décor accents collected from all over, are part of the ensemble cast, giving us previews into their life and lodgings.
Sherab, founder and principal designer of TharbusDesigns, takes us on a tour of the home she describes as having, “One of the most confusing concept stages I have experienced. Ronnie wanted a rustic Himalayan home with wooden aesthetics, Barty was all out with her bright Bohemian aesthetic.”
The Way We Live Now
The entrance draws you into the spacious living room of the top-floor apartment, to the right of which lies the master bedroom — a muted quiet retreat in the otherwise vivid home. The living, dining and studio cluster was to remain unfettered and light strewn, a requisite for shoots — this was executed by using glass partitions instead of walls. The bedroom, studio and recording spaces are softly secluded.
On the right, is a fully-equipped studio. On the left, a traditional dining area and kitchen serve as the heart of the home. Sherab shares, “It’s common practice in traditional Himalayan homes to have these two spaces together, referred to as a Tandoor room, where the family gathers to cook together. This space was a modern take on that feeling of cosy childhood nostalgia.” A stone-clad staircase takes you to the attic lounge, perfect for relaxed gatherings, and a bridge connects the attic lounge to a sound recording pod above the studio.
A Marriage Of Equals
The initial brief focused on a space that blended the rustic-Bohemian aesthetic with their functional needs. The design styles may sound different but as Sherab explains, “There are overlapping elements — both styles are very unfinished with so much character and both use lots of natural materials.”
Teal is used in abundance in the living room walls, against the wooden ceiling and wall to balance the colours while orange and reds were used in the kitchen-dining area where cabinets are blue.
This balanced ethos is seen throughout, with the use of Deodar and Rye wood and orange and teal accents uniting the spaces. Terracotta appears in the kitchen, adding to the earthy natural feel.
This Manali home has insulated double-glazed windows and underfloor heating, “Kadappa is a stone easily found locally, but we used it because it’s a good heat conductor and the entire flooring has an underfloor heating system installed. They can roam around in their T-shirts, even in the winter. In Manali, no matter how beautifully a space is designed, if you’re shivering in it, it’s not a good place to be.”
While the concept was borne from functionality and their personalities, thoughtfully curated décor accents infuse character. They want to fill up walls and corners as they age — collecting memorabilia and memories. The result is a warm (pun intended) space that’s a rustic Himalayan cabin, a bright Bohemian abode, a functional home studio, a secluded refuge in the clouds, a treasure trove of memories — rather like a film that means one thing to its makers and has multiple interpretations for viewers.
