The grounds of a one-time working farm in Gujarat, India is all that awaited the design team tasked with crafting Aramness Gir Lodge. To bring this 18-room property bordering Gir National Park to life, Stellenbosch, South Africa-based Nicholas Plewman Architects & Associates and Johannesburg firm Fox Browne Creative looked to an animated neighboring village for inspiration. There, kothis—traditional two-story dwellings outfitted with upper-level verandas—captivated Plewman, who reimagined them as structures made with sandstone, limestone, plantation teak, and stucco.

Past the ramparts clad in imposing jali screens at arrival, guests are welcomed into these jali-shaded kothis, where Fox Browne Creative’s interiors illuminate the “story of Gujarati craft,” says cofounder and co-owner Chris Browne. “India is so rich and it’s so easy to be tempted to use a riot of pattern and color, but we honed it down to Gujarati icons,” including the mud and mirror work that defines lippan plaster and the embroidered braiding adorning the curtains.

The pool room provides a respite from the Indian heat, thanks to the use of metal jali screens, which cast light onto the intimate firepit and seating area

These subtle details contrast with the large-scale pieces that Browne and his team purposefully sought out to align with the powerful presence of the jali, such as old ceiling panels, oversized dowry chests, and massive pots. Reclaimed doors and luxe brass accents are also woven into the design scheme.

Fox Browne Creative is known as the creative force behind andBeyond’s collection of glamorous lodges and camps, all of which draw from the surrounding landscape, and that same ethos is on display at Aramness Gir. “We always pay homage to the natural and cultural history of the area in our projects. In India, there is a surplus of styles, customs, palettes, and silhouettes,” explains cofounder and co-owner Debra Fox. That abundance led the firm to “borrow elements such as Charpoy daybeds, which are typically strewn around Indian villages, and the oxblood and saffron colors prevalent in textiles,” points out Browne.

Gir National Park is home to the world’s sole remaining Asiatic lions, and to honor these endangered animals, the studio also designed a double basin marble vanity decked out with a lion gargoyle made by artisans in Mumbai. Even original lari and bullock carts are used “as housekeeping and room service trolleys in full view of guests,” says Fox. “We were especially conscious not to create a [typical] hotel or resort. Guests need to feel at home.”

 

This article originally appeared in HD’s April 2022 issue.