A home amongst the stars set in the backwaters of Kerala

As the years passed, Sneha and Prakash began making road trips to Kerala with their three children and observed a noticeable transformation in Prakash's mood as soon as they crossed the state border. Sneha recalls, "He became happier, more jovial, rolling down the windows to inhale the fresh air." She goes on to share, "Prakash harboured a profound desire to establish a home in his native land, ensuring that our children would feel connected and have a sense of belonging to their heritage." This strong motivation led them to embark on the journey of building a second home in Kerala. With Nakshatra Mana their objective is to create an environment where one can simply unwind.

We spoke to Sneha about what went behind designing this beautiful home:

Beautiful Homes: What does the name of your home Nakshatra Mana mean?

Sneha Iype: Nakshatra Mana means home within the stars. This was the name of the original house owned by photographer Ashok Koshy. We loved it and kept the name.

My most cherished recollection of Ashok features him clad in a black mundu, a leather belt with a sizable shiny buckle, a vest, and a Stetson hat, while holding a pipe. He enchanted us with a delectable meal of freshly caught karimeen (pearl spot). Although we purchased the property in 2015, it was only during the initial days of the first wave of the Covid pandemic that we commenced the actual work on it.

BH: What made you bring Rajesh George on to the design team?

SI: Our vision for a home included a spacious courtyard, seamlessly integrating the outdoors with the indoors, and offering direct views of the backwaters. Drawn to tropical Dutch architecture, Prakash and I travelled to Sri Lanka, where we met Channa Daswatte, a close friend and the principal assistant to Sri Lanka's esteemed architect, Geoffrey Bawa. 

BH: Is the house available for guests to book?

SI: Originally intending to share our home with friends, we gradually opened it up for them to stay. This led to the realisation that having people in the house made maintenance more manageable. To facilitate this transition, the luxury villa management company, Lux Unlock, collaborated with us to attract the right audience. As a result, we decided to extend the invitation to anyone who would appreciate the unique experience of our home. A neighbour from the village contributes to our culinary team, using the freshest produce, some of which is sourced from our own garden.