Beyond the Tour: 7 Interior Design Tips for a Colourful South Indian-Inspired Home
By Shannon Osztonits -
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Do you love a splash of colour in your home, or are you obsessed with combinations of delicious textures?
Forget about minimal and modern interior design. It’s time to take a page out of Southern India’s culturally rich and inspiring homes.
A stroll through the city’s Little India showcases a love for colour, traditions and intricate patterns, but there is more to Indian interior design. This is also obvious when comparing Indian fashion, with its love of textiles, prints and fabrics.
A look into the dining area and kitchen, with a dark green front door to the right-hand side of the dining room.
For the homeowners of a two-bedroom condo in Tanjong Rhu, they were very much inspired by the homes of South India, where the couple’s family heritage stems from. They worked with Distinct Identity for their home renovation.
“We definitely wanted some South Indian influences in the design of the house,” say the homeowners. “We got a lot of ideas from South Indian houses. My family is from Kerala, so you know, the traditional houses are what we took inspiration from. We did trips around India, too, to see some different ideas.”
From colours to patterns to textures, here are some of the must-have features to recreate a Southern Indian-inspired interior design in your home.
This home features bold prints and dark, teak woods.
Earthy Tones & Pops of Colour
Pair earthy tones, especially terra cotta, creams and deep browns, with vibrant colours, like green, deep blue, turmeric yellow and rich orange.
“We wanted that earthy kind of feel with a few pops of colours,” the couple explains.
The master bedroom features a custom-built teak canopy bedframe and other teak furniture.
Teak Wood
Wood features heavily in South Indian design, specifically teak, rosewood and mahogany. It’s used for furniture and woodwork like cupboards, cabinetry and doors.
A lot of the rattan furniture in this home is paired with teak wood finishes.
Rattan Furniture
Loved for its durability as well as textured print, rattan is very popular in South Indian design and can withstand the high temperatures that this part of the country is accustomed to.
“Rattan and cane ended up becoming another two sorts of recurring features to the house,” details the homeowners. “We think colour-wise, it supported the colour scheme we were looking at and it just really helped with the Indianish feel.”
The couple’s closet is covered by fabric featuring hummingbirds and tropical flora.
Fabrics
Did you know that India is one of the top-producing countries of textiles and fabrics? Naturally, Indian interior design embellishes plenty of fabrics, from soft silvery silks to cotton (perfect for humid countries like Singapore) to patterned jute used a lot in upholstery.
“We wanted a larger wardrobe, and our interior designer suggested having fabric on the door.”
The traditional oonjal hangs from a beam in between the living room and dining area.
Courtyard Swings
Walking inside a Southern Indian home, one thing you will notice is an open courtyard, where an oonjal (swing) usually hangs. This is a popular feature in houses around South India, and the couple was very set on having their own oonjal in their condo.
“My childhood memories of my grandmother, she had a much bigger swing because they had more space. It’s something that I’ve seen growing up in all the traditional houses,” says the wife. “We wanted to incorporate that at home as well, even though it’s on a smaller scale.
Open-concept layout
Open layouts are a huge part of traditional South Indian architecture, and, along with the natural light in this condo, is one of the biggest reasons the homeowners initially fell in love with the property.
The living room, dining area and kitchen seamlessly flow into one large space, separated by rugs or structural pillars.
“We were generally happy with the bones of the place because, for example, the living space and dining space have been opened up, so that was already done,” tells the homeowners. “We were also happy with the flow.”
Patterned door knobs are amongst the intricate motifs found in South Indian interior design.
Intricate motifs and patterns
Whether it’s an Indian temple or a deity statue, Indian design is renowned for its intricate and highly-detailed patterns, whether it’s in the form of a building motif or a pattern on a decorative item.
These homeowners sourced patterned door knobs from an antique store in India, adding them to their master bedroom closet as well as onto the kitchen cabinets.