Tropical Interior Design
My Tour of Sri Lanka’s Most Inspiring Spaces
Three Must-Visit Locations for Lovers
of Interior Design
Interior design is one of my great passions, and the field I’ve dedicated (and continue to dedicate) a large part of my professional life to. The creation and decoration of spaces is an ever evolving art that combines beauty and functionality. The furniture, textiles, pieces of art and colour palettes we choose, as well as our most cherished objects… Everything we put into a space forms part of, and tells the tale of our life.
Two of the things that I was most drawn to during my first visit to Sri Lanka were the interior design and architecture of some of the houses and spaces I visited. Sri Lanka’s spaces and buildings are a perfect reflection of the melting pot of cultures that the island represents. This perfect mix of restored traditional and colonial elements coupled with the international rationalist style introduced by the new generation of Sri Lankan architects and interior designers of the 20th century, gives the impression of time standing still, where old and new become one.
Sri Lanka’s spaces and buildings are a perfect reflection of the melting pot of cultures that the island represents
This “timeless spell” is the defining essence of the island of Sri Lanka, and my inspiration when I’m creating my jewellery designs. Through them, I try to convey this same sense of timeless magic that can be felt in the streets and buildings of cities like Galle and Colombo, and which lead me to fall in love with this island and its people. And now I’d like to invite you to discover the tropical interior design of Sri Lanka that so inspires me, as we take a look at three remarkable locations that are a must-visit for any traveller who loves interior decoration and design.
Geoffrey Bawa’s House (33 Lane Road, Colombo)
The starting point on our tour is the personal residence of Sri Lanka’s most famous architect in recent history, Geoffrey Bawa.
Thanks to his English, German, Muslim and Sinhalese roots, Bawa himself is a fascinating example of the mix of cultures so characteristic of Sri Lanka. He played a key role in defining the island’s architectural identity following the end of British rule in 1948.
This house, constructed from restored traditional bungalows, is an expression of his life’s work, his private space for architectural experimentation. Although officially inaugurated in 1969, over the next 40 years, Bawa would continue to reshape and rearrange the spaces contained within it, creating a truly unique building.
This was a home that was constantly evolving, in which the interior and exterior combine to become one, thanks to the interior courtyards that fill each of the rooms with veritable cascades of light. The mix of traditional Sri Lankan artwork and more modern triumphs of 20th-century European design shaped what was to become tropical modernism, the style of interior design still characteristic of the island to this day.
The Dutch House (23 Upper Dickson Road, Galle)
Built in 1712, Doornberg, as it was then known, was the private residence of a high-ranking official at the Dutch East India Company. Nowadays, it’s an exclusive luxury resort.
This 18th-century Dutch Colonial home was constructed from a series of traditional bungalows and was renovated in the 20th century by Channa Daswatte, one of Geoffrey Bawa’s architectural protégés.
This is a place to unwind and lose yourself in the tropical aromas, colours and sensations. Its sitting rooms contain echoes of colonial architectural elements, such as the columns and large wooden windows, which sit alongside a unique collection of furniture blending traditional pieces and fabrics from Sri Lanka with 20th-century European pieces.
What’s more, the rooms’ soft colour palettes, made up of ochre and mahogany tones, suggest a subtle tribute to Dutch Renaissance master paintings. This detail, as well as the English garden added by Daswatte, turns the Dutch House into a symbol of the marriage between East and West that so characterises Sri Lanka.
«The Dutch House» is a symbol of the marriage between the East and West that so characterises Sri Lanka
Taprobane Island
On this private island facing Weligama Bay, we find the culmination of the ideas that Geoffrey Bawa introduced to Sri Lankan architecture and interior design.
The interior and exterior merge seamlessly thanks to the property’s large windows and verandas, and the vegetation creeping into the rooms. Its white walls, like the sands of the surrounding beaches, reflect the colours of the tropical sunset, which then form part of the decor. Ochres, greens, earthy browns and mahoganies are repeated in the furniture and traditional wall hangings that decorate some of the rooms.
This private paradise was once owned by the Count of Maunay, a French exile who built the first villa on this tiny island off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
Among the guests to have stayed here are European cultural icons, such as the writer, composer and adventurer Paul Bowles, adding to the aura of legend surrounding this magical resort.
