Home design ideas

Inspired by vernacular architecture, Kathryn Larsen is a bio-based designer working with seaweed. Throughout her career, she has been doing an intensive investigation into eel-grass, a material that has been used for centuries around the world. Larsen wants to apply all the benefits of this material (rot resistance, fire resistance, non-toxic, insulation characteristics comparable to mineral wool, and its ability to create carbon negative buildings) into prefabrication development and other technologies that enable the creation of new cladding and other elements, such as insulation batt and acoustic panels.

This house is located in a quiet neighborhood in Pune. Abutted by two roads lined with large banyan trees, the site had an existing art-deco house, set amidst large trees. The program was to demolish the old house and construct a new one. The idea was to preserve most of the trees; hence the new house predominantly occupied the area of the existing house and started responding to the surrounding trees.

“This house means everything to us because it is the fruit of constant efforts to pursue our dreams,” said the homeowners, a married couple of young age and active lifestyle. Talking about the house they have just bought, they wanted to renovate it into new living spaces and a home office–a fashion factory producing handcrafted leather products.