Residence at Payyannur

A client who wanted the classical language, done properly rather than as pastiche. Walls are panelled in raised mouldings and painted out in a single warm ivory, so the ornament reads as shadow rather than decoration. Gilt is reserved for the furniture and the light fittings — carved bed frames, cabriole dining chairs, crystal sconces and a chandelier over the table — and the floor is polished to carry all of it. The washbasin sits on a fluted console in the dining room, the bowl hand-decorated and the tap in aged brass. The kitchen holds the same discipline in shaker fronts and brass pulls, with a lit niche kept for the shrine.