The restoration of a 92-year-old home in Goa is a lesson in preserving our cultural heritage

The restoration process lays equal importance on preservation and adaptation

It was love at first sight for Mumbai-based Deepak and Leenika Jacob, when they met their now-home in north Goa, once decrepit and crumbling. Built in 1932, it stands on a lush three-fourth of an acre of land in Pilerne Marra, Bardez, where the couple wanted to build a permaculture garden to be able to lead a farm-to-table lifestyle.

Leenika runs Kala Chaupal, a not-for-profit organisation that works at the intersection of art, culture and environment—an ethos embodied by the home as well. It’s ancient, it’s Portuguese, and it’s curiously nicknamed “Seven Doors”, a feature of the home that ties its past and present together.

“'Seven Doors House' is what the neighbours have called this house since 1932, and we stayed with the name,” says Leenika. It was restored by a team of specialists—architects and designers—who knew they had to retain the skeleton of the original, while responding to needs of our times. “We have stayed true to form in the use of materiality and crafting; the walls are all covered in lime plaster, giving the laterite place to breathe while the floors are either IPS (cement oxide) or kota stone. They are evocative of early 20th-century Europe with the propelled use of cast iron in construction [of walls and floors],” she adds.

The myth of Portuguese architecture in Goa

For the Jacobs, it was important to collaborate with professionals who were on the same page as them about conserving the built heritage of Goa. In an attempt to achieve this, they brought together Dean D'Cruz of Mozaic, Ashika Nadaph of Design Van, and Nilesh Thakkar of Jeernodhar, to breathe life into a home whose moniker holds the key to its legacy.

“The challenge was to translate and bring to life the clients’ intent, where the building acted as an appropriate backdrop to their collection of furniture and artefacts. They actively contributed to the development of design and detailing, ensuring a seamless integration of elements while maintaining connection to the context,” says D’Cruz, principal architect of the project, who busts an interesting myth along the way.

According to the architect, “Portuguese architecture in Goa is a complete misnomer,” as Portugal does not have buildings resembling the ones here. Instead, it is really the local vernacular architecture of the state, “which is a simulation of elements re-translated to our craft base and made by master builders without architects. With this approach the wide range of elements and diversity in the houses of Goa is quite remarkable,” explains D’Cruz.

In Seven Doors, much like in any Goan house that has been restored, the home was opened up to the great outdoors. Moreover, restoration is as much about adaptation, as it is about preservation. Most Goan houses—except for the ones with a balcao or veranda—are inward looking, with poor light and ventilation. “Our mission was to create brighter, better ventilated spaces that linked the inside and the outside. Expanding beyond the confines of the house, we introduced terraces and sit outs at multiple levels, intricately weaving the living spaces with lush garden surroundings. To enhance the living experience, balconies underwent a transformation, evolving into thoughtfully designed washrooms. This not only optimised the available space but also allowed for larger, well-lit living areas,” says D’Cruz.

Restoration as a form of adaptation 

The stained glass on the doors are pièce de résistance that earned the home its name. The glass is inspired by the rice fields in Pilerne, and has been designed by Swati Ghandkar of The Glass Studio. As the legend goes, earlier, Pilerne was devoid of rice fields, so the bed of the river was converted into land for cultivation by the Gaunkar community of Carambolim—an endeavour that took a few decades.

In order to restore the doors’ glory, Leenika meticulously chose someone who specialised in working with stained glass in the post-colonial era. After all, the act of restoration is not just architectural, but has larger cultural connotations as well. The Glass Studio’s projects are conceived and executed in-house—from design to installation—with the team having worked with large architectural and building teams since its inception in 1997. “In the discipline of conservation of historic stained glass, our approach is based on internationally recognised principles that include minimum and sensitive intervention, reversal of techniques, and complete documentation,” says Ghandkar of the Mumbai-based firm.

Therefore, for every aspect of restoration, historicity is key. When making way for the new, the old does not necessarily have to recede into the background. Instead, it should adapt to coexist and evolve—like an upgrade, if you will. “People need to respect the basic form of the building, its original walls and openings and scale,” says D’Cruz. “The simplicity of a Goan home lies in its multiple doors and windows [structured] in a very organised pattern, and this actually allows flexibility in reworking the internal layouts. There are also ways in which one can add new elements or even exaggerate them and yet blend into an old building without it feeling as a new addition,” he elaborates. 

D’Cruz also points to the fact that “good conservation” is not about “identically recreating the past, but responding to new needs and new materials where appropriate. The spirit of the architecture is the most important thing to maintain.” Therefore, in that vein, the original Mangalore roof tiles with wooden batons—a striking feature that forms the home’s identity—have been retained, as have the laterite cornices. “The interiors are crafted with repurposed wood, carefully sourced antiques, while some objects are from Amazon. The lights and fittings are a mix of antique and new handcrafted brass with original glass domes,” adds Leenika. “Most of the pieces have a story,” she says, including their quaint rubble wall that acts as a passage for small creatures—in the spirit of cohabitation fostered by the old home, in new clothes.

Also Read: This sprawling Bengaluru home is a testament to how art can elevate your space

Also Read: This modern home in the Himalayas is a space for all seasons

Also Read: 7 Indian homes with cosy libraries to spend curled up at this World Book Day