In celebration of World Earth Day 2024, we wanted to share our journey of building a small house in Goa using rammed earth construction. We've divided our experience into three parts:

PART 1: the project's inception,

PART 2: the challenges we encountered, and finally,

PART 3: the successful execution of our first rammed earth wall on-site.

Our story begins with the start of the project and a hands-on workshop on Rammed Earth led by Gia Mantra Village. Sanjeev Wahi the COO of Grounded attended this workshop.

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Following this, we delved into research and development specific to our site living in Goa, conducting tests, and facing various challenges along the way.

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Through our dedication and with assistance from Thumb Impressions, we overcame these obstacles and successfully completed the first wall of the house.

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From researching and trying out different mixes to solving real-life challenges with the walls, we've come a long way. Building rammed earth walls depends a lot on the specific site and many factors need to be taken into account. We've successfully built these walls at our site and want to share our experience to help others interested in rammed earth construction find all the information they need in one place. You can find more about our journey on our Instagram. If you have any questions, feel free to send us a direct message.

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We love designs that at once marry form and function and do so with panache. As we design our houses in Goa, we are constantly on the lookout for products that elevate a spatial experience through colour, texture, and shape - all without compromising on functional capabilities. The Rio lamp by designer Harshita Jhamtani delivers all this and more.

The Rio shines in different natural stone finishes ranging from White Travertine, Bheslana stone, Green Forest Marble, and Sandstone, among others. In each case, the designer says, “All the lamps are carved out of a single block and have a fluting detail complimenting the properties of each stone.” The diverse options available ensure that there’s a Rio that works for every design style and every kind of space.

Furthermore, the Rio is built to last. In interpreting sustainability, Harshita Jhamtani qualifies, “As a studio, we believe that the most sustainable practice for a designer to adapt, is to create products that their patrons can buy once and cherish for a longtime. We bring this very dream to life by creating long-lasting unique pieces that shall take a small step towards accelerating the low carbon economy.”

Images courtesy Harshita Jhamtani designs

The Rio lamp is minimal, yet artful and robust with its material sensibilities. It is a beautiful way of bringing the elements of the outdoors, indoors. It is timeless in its rustic simplicity.

Now that you've got this house in Goa, imagine all the things you can do with it to make it your sanctuary. The most wonderful thing about having a house in Goa is being able to enjoy the natural immersion and the seasonal indulgence that comes with it. To us, design is a direct way to enhance comfort, improve quality of living, and create richness in experience within every space.

Design can be simple but generous and luxurious when the right materials and strategies are used. Here are 5 effective ways to create rustic spaces that are designed for barefoot and earthy luxury.

01 Create spacious bathrooms finished with rustic materials that feel great against bare feet.

Find bathrooms designed as sanctuary spaces here.

02 Use a colour palette of subtle shades & tones in neutral monochromatic colours.

Read more about building a neutral palette here.

03 Take advantage of the unique colours, patterns and textures of natural materials.

Learn about using and maintaining wood, lime, and IPS here.

04 Design landscape to mimic a wild landscape as opposed to manicured landscape.

Learn more about natural landscaping and local species here.

05 Practice a bit of wabi sabi where you appreciate and live with site's imperfections and the aging of materials.

Read our blogpost on living with nature.

The earth in Goa is a distinct red color due to a higher iron content hence the laterite stone which is local to Goa has the same red hue and a beautiful porous texture. We tend to feature exposed laterite stone walls often in our buildings and landscaping. We also use red terracotta roof tiles on our building roofs. We find that this allows our buildings to merge into the landscape.

RED TERRACOTTA ROOF TILES

In our building interiors, as a thumb-rule we tend to use a single floor finish throughout the house. Our preference has been in the use of natural stone and we tend to use locally available stones such as Kudupah, Kota, Tandoor and Jaisalmer. We often use the same stone in the interior and exterior of the rooms, sometimes varying the texture and finish of the indoor and outdoor stone for a subtle difference that can mostly only be felt under one’s bare feet.

In the building interiors, we also have a great preference for the use of cement finish or IPS. For us, this finish works very well with our desire for an earthy look and feel. An IPS finish feels smooth and cool to one’s touch and its natural weathering, slight patchiness and cracks mimics the imperfections found in nature.

(ABOVE) INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NAVOVADO

We used mirror polished Kota stone in the interior and the verandah in the central courtyard at Navovado. I really like the way the same flooring flows in and out. This accentuates the connection of the indoor-outdoor. I also feel that the faded green color of Kota stone works very well with the green landscape outside. The flow if very pleasing to the eye and not jarring with unnecessary boundaries. We took the Kota in a rough texture on top of the swimming pool edge to once again tie all the elements together into one unified composition. This goes back to our design philosophy, where we feel that the central focus in our houses in Goa must be on the connection with the landscape.

(LEFT) IPS FINISH IN PROGRESS AT THE HOUSE WITH THREE PAVILIONS

EXPOSED LATERITE WALLS

INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NIVIM

We used mirror polished Kudupah in the interiors and a rough Kudupah in the verandahs.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR FLOORING AT NAVOVADO

We used mirror-polished Jaisalmer stone and a similar color vitrified tile on the terrace. The connection was further highlighted by using Jaisalmer again in the exterior skirting.

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