Designed by TAS World, this farmhouse in Alipur blends Spanish and Scandinavian influences to create a tranquil retreat where architecture, landscape, and interiors come together in perfect harmony.
Designed by TAS World under the leadership of Principal Architect Anmol CP Sachdeva, White Manor was envisioned as far more than a farmhouse—it was designed as a sanctuary for rest, reflection, and emotional well-being. Nestled within the tranquil green belt of Alipur, Delhi, the 10,000 sq. ft. residence emerges from a deeply personal brief centred on creating a sense of calm, comfort, and escape from the relentless pace of city life. Designed for a self-made entrepreneur with a demanding lifestyle, the home prioritises serenity over spectacle, offering an environment that instantly eases the mind and restores a sense of balance from the moment one enters its gates. Through a seamless integration of architecture, interiors, and landscape, the design team has crafted a Spanish-Scandinavian farmhouse retreat that celebrates understated luxury, timeless craftsmanship, and a profound connection with nature.
The architectural language draws from Spanish Colonial and Mediterranean farmhouse typologies, reinterpreted through a contemporary Scandinavian lens. Rather than creating a stylistic replica, the design selectively borrows key spatial and material principles, whitewashed walls, rhythmic arches, sloping tiled roofs, shaded verandahs, tactile finishes, and indoor-outdoor continuity that translates them into a modern North Indian farmhouse.
At the heart of the planning lies an uncompromising integration of Vastu Shastra, not as an imposed layer, but as a generative design framework. The built form occupies the southwest portion of the site, reinforcing notions of stability and grounding, while the landscape opens generously toward the north and east to maximise daylight, ventilation, and positive energy flow. The swimming pool occupies the northeast Ishan corner, traditionally associated with water and prosperity, while entry orientation, landscape zoning, and spatial sequencing were all carefully calibrated to maintain energetic balance throughout the residence.
What distinguishes the project is the way these Vastu principles seamlessly align with passive design strategies. The orientation naturally reduces western heat gain, allows softer northern and eastern light to penetrate deep into the interiors, and encourages cross ventilation across all major spaces. Sustainability here is embedded quietly within planning logic rather than expressed through overt technological gestures.
The facade composition is organised around a commanding double-height central entry volume that anchors the entire elevation. This vertical mass establishes hierarchy and proportion while giving the home a distinct architectural identity from across the lawn. Extending horizontally from this core is a rhythmic arcade of full-height arches that forms one of the defining visual and spatial features of the residence.
These arches are not merely ornamental references to Mediterranean architecture; they are deeply functional climatic devices. By creating recessed shaded zones along the facade, they reduce direct solar exposure while introducing layered shadow play that changes character throughout the day. The arches also establish a semi-open transitional threshold between architecture and landscape a recurring theme across the project.
One of the most important experiential spaces born from this strategy is the front patio. Stretching across the length of the elevation and sheltered beneath the upper balcony projection, the patio became the architectural response to the client’s desire to remain connected to weather and nature. During monsoons, the space transforms into an immersive sensory environment where the sound of rain, the smell of wet earth, and the visual rhythm of water across the lawns become part of everyday living.
Materiality throughout the project was approached with exceptional restraint and clarity. The exterior palette revolves around four dominant elements — white limefinished surfaces, terracotta roof tiles, black metal detailing, and layered greens from the landscape. This controlled palette allows proportion, texture, shadow, and light to become the primary visual language of the architecture.
The terracotta sloping roof introduces warmth and silhouette against the otherwise monochromatic white massing, while slim black railings sharpen the composition with precise linear contrast. Together, these elements create a farmhouse aesthetic that feels timeless yet contemporary, rooted yet globally familiar.
Landscape design extends the architectural discipline rather than functioning as an independent layer. The lawns remain intentionally expansive and uncluttered, allowing the architecture room to breathe. Along the white compound walls, a carefully repeated planting rhythm of date palms, Ficus Panda standards, and sculpted topiary establishes a near-graphic interplay between greenery and built form. The composition creates a calming visual cadence where landscape operates almost as a living elevation treatment.
The swimming pool stands out as one of the most refined design interventions within the project. Elevated and finished entirely in Gwalior mint stone, the pool carries a muted grey-green tonality that changes beautifully with shifting daylight. The stone was selected not only for its cooling properties and tactile quality, but also for the way it reflects water and sky with remarkable softness.
Rather than treating the pool as a singular recreational feature, the design transforms it into a layered spatial experience. A submerged lounge allows users to sit directly at water level, while a floating dining platform creates an intimate setting suspended above the reflective surface. An integrated Jacuzzi further reinforces the project’s larger narrative of pause, stillness, and sensory retreat.
Internally, the language shifts from Mediterranean formality toward Scandinavian-Bohemian warmth. The transition is intentional — the exterior establishes presence, while the interiors dissolve into comfort and tactility.
The ground floor was designed as a completely open social volume without bedrooms, allowing uninterrupted movement between living, dining, entertainment, and leisure functions. This openness reinforces the project’s central idea of togetherness and fluid family interaction.
A defining interior USP is the exposed wooden purlin ceiling system that extends across the living spaces, patio, staircase volume, and upper balcony. Crafted in warm walnut-toned wood against white plaster ceilings, the purlins introduce depth, rhythm, and intimacy into otherwise expansive volumes. More importantly, they establish a continuous visual thread connecting interior and exterior spaces.
The flooring material further strengthens the home’s layered yet restrained character. Persian-patterned cement tiles in muted grey and off-white tones add visual richness underfoot while remaining tonally calm. The patterning subtly references heritage craft traditions while complementing the farmhouse vocabulary.
Furniture and styling follow a highly edited material palette centred around boucle upholstery, natural wood, textured wall finishes, limewashed surfaces, brushed brass accents, and sculptural ceramics. The design intentionally avoids over-decoration, allowing texture, proportion, and negative space to carry emotional weight within the interiors.
The bar area introduces the project’s singular dramatic moment. Anchored by a textured black volcanic stone wall, the space contrasts sharply against the otherwise soft neutral palette. Floating timber shelves with concealed brass lighting display curated white ceramic objects and sculptural pieces, creating a gallery-like composition where material contrast becomes the focal point.
The upper floor houses three bedrooms, each interpreted through a distinct design personality while remaining materially cohesive. One room adopts a clean contemporary language, another introduces raw stone textures for a more grounded atmosphere, while the third leans into a culturally layered aesthetic with traditional art and handcrafted detailing.
Natural light plays a defining role throughout the residence. Large openings frame views toward the lawns and pool while ensuring every room remains naturally ventilated and illuminated throughout the day. The house was intentionally designed so that artificial lighting becomes almost unnecessary during daylight hours — an understated but deeply meaningful luxury.
The project ultimately redefines luxury through restraint. Instead of relying on excess, White Manor focuses on proportion, sensory comfort, climatic responsiveness, tactile materiality, and emotional calm creates a farmhouse that feels timeless not because it follows trends, but because it prioritises how a space should make you feel.
Photography: Takeninstudios
