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5 nights at the Ghent House, Catskill Mountains. |
| STARTING BID: $4,500 |
| sculpture www.tarikcurrimbhoy.com |
architecture www.currimbhoy.net |
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| DESIGNING MEMORIES |
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 Situated along the Hudson River in upstate New York, this house on a hill draws inspiration
from its surroundings, and pays homage to the panoramic view of the Catskill Mountains. The landscape in this part of New York state is rolling hills, horse farms,
wood barns and bullet like silos. The spare geometric shape of the house draws inspiration from these tall rectangular barns. But, unlike the pitched barn roofs, here there are four separate roofs.
The central roof which caps the “party room” on the third floor is flat, and opens out |
 into a sky porch from which only the dome of the sky and 360 degree mountain view are visible. The sky roof is flanked by two slanted roofs which open themselves like a “yawn” towards the mountains. The roofs resemble a bird in flight, while the timber joists under the overhanging eaves hark back to stick construction of old local barns. The mango yellow color of the house is redolent of the memory of Indian summers and signals a quirky sensibility that reveals itself in layers.
The home was built as a country retreat for Nayana and Tarik Currimbhoy, and has a very simple layout, mirroring the geometric discipline of the exterior shape - three bedrooms and three baths, distributed over two floors, and, on the third floor, a single room that rises above the roofs like a sentinel.
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 Currimbhoy & Co. is a New York City-based design firm founded
by architect Tarik Currimbhoy in 1983. The practice marked
their presence in India - building in Mumbai and Delhi - since
1990, and opened an office in Mumbai in 2006. The projects
they deal with range from products to interiors to buildings. In
1998 they established another US-based company, Sana Stone,
with the intent to create modern design using ancient hand-
crafting techniques. Mr Currimbhoy has received his Master of
Architecture from Pratt Institute, Master of Arts from Cornell
University, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. He
has taught at both universities. “Believing architecture to be
an art form, we create sculpted spaces that are timeless. Our
spaces are tranquil, simple and tactile, expressed with a purity
of form and material” - says the principal architect.
The practice has engaged themselves in projects in the US,
Dubai and India and has been extensively published in these
places as well. |
 The row of temple columns with their granite bases and teak wood awning are the first sight of the house as you enter the estate by a winding road that skirts the outer edge of the property. The main entrance which is at the back of the house is flanked by two columns of undulating “basket weave” sculpture carved from blocks of black Kadappa limestone, hand-chiselled into horizontal ribbons of concave and convex expressions and hand-brushed into a finish that feels like silk. These, as well as all the stone sculptures on the property, are designed by chief architect Tarik Currimbhoy and produced by his affiliate company Sana Stone, which were carved at workshops in Jaipur. |
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