KOTHARI MANSION

The design brief was to recreate the Vanderbilt Mansion in Jaipur. The Vanderbilt Mansion, built along the Hudson River was designed by the premier architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White from 1896-1899. It is a prime example of a grand, Beaux-Arts Mansion of the gilded age.

Our client who moved to America in the 1980s, fell in love with this beautiful Italian Renaissance style mansion built in Indiana Limestone, with white marble statues and follies set amidst verdant gardens. It was his dream to have this mansion come alive in his native Jaipur.

Tarik Currimbhoy Design, in turn, teamed up with Jaipur based Sthapatya Architects and Interior Design. Tarik says ”The success of the project is equally shared by Sandeep and Ritu's team without whom we could not have made this complex project work.”

The job of creating the exterior and interiors took over three years. In addition to Currimbhoy design teams in New York & Mumbai and the Sthapatya team in Jaipur; various specialized teams like traditional Rajasthani wood carvers and stone sculptors, landscape and horticulture experts, metal fabricators and brass casting teams were brought together. POP molding experts were roped in from Mumbai.

It was our job to knit the architecture, landscaping and the interiors together to speak a fluent language of classical architecture, gracefully creating a building using hand chiseled Indian stone in the Ionic order. The sunken courtyards, loggia and balconies balance the imposing regal architecture. The French stepped up formal gardens and fountains soften the imposing building.

The site was a quarter of an acre merging into a private estate of 8 acres in the center of Jaipur. The mansion designed is about 25,000 sq. feet, spread over a basement, ground and first floor.