A story of a renovation
September 24, 2020
Niki Fairchild first visited Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. In 2002 she discovered the ‘Old House’ at Aranwella near Tangalle and began a loving renovation and extension that brought into being Beliatta House. She tells us the story of that restoration.
I had visited Sri Lanka several times from the late 1980s but never made it past Galle. It was only in 2002 when I went to a friend’s wedding in Tangalle that I discovered the area, and fell in love with this part of the island which was so charming and unspoilt, and had these incredibly beautiful beaches.
I decided, with the help of my friends, to find a property on the beach. I searched for a couple of years but couldn’t find anything suitable, so instead was introduced to the old Walauwa in early 2004. I quickly changed my mind to move inland as I was instantly enchanted by the house, built circa 1910 and standing magnificently on 2 acres of land down a little road off the beaten track.
I was living in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok at the time, so this place was the antithesis of that! The ‘Old House’ as it was called, in the tiny village of Aranwella, was so calm and peaceful but desperately needed to be restored to its former glory.
Thanks to my friends, buying the property was very straightforward, and by April I was the proud owner together with an old friend who became a partner in the project.
I had been living in old houses since my days in Singapore. I’d renovated a flat in a heritage building in Bombay and an old 1920s house in Bangkok where I lived after completing an interior design course at Parson’s in New York, so I was attracted to the walauwa in the same way. I love the history that surrounds them, their character, their high ceilings, the incredibly thick walls, especially the beautiful verandahs and the way air flows through them, keeping you cool in the tropical heat.
Even though some parts of the property were in reasonably sound condition after all these years, it definitely was in need of urgent restoration to avoid further decline.
The whole roof was replaced and the spaces were redefined to allow for better use for guest rooms. Bathrooms were added as originally they were always placed outside of the main house. All the beautiful teak fret work in the windows was taken out and completely restored and the floors were replaced with polish cement.
I knew immediately that I was going to add a new wing to the property as we needed to have more rooms. Because of this I decided it was important to find a way to mix the old with the new in terms of the interiors so that both buildings would blend seamlessly together. This became an integral feature of the property.
I was clear that even though the Walauwa was over 100 years old, it didn’t necessarily need to have antique furniture to match, so I used contemporary pieces to keep all the spaces fresh, light and modern, and only incorporated a few antique pieces for contrast in both buildings.
The palette I used was quite muted, but again I used splashes of colour to add a little contrast. The use of the natural stones in the courtyard around the pool again was a main design feature, but this time the stones, reminicscent of an old palazzo in Europe, add an old world charm to the new wing.
Pradeep Kodikara is a well known Sri Lankan architect renowned for his contemporary architecture. I would say that the idea for the new wing was a key part of his design philosophy because it’s a new structure but one he was very clever to integrate with the older building under one continuous roof. His style is very similar to mine, so it was very easy to work together on both the architecture and the interiors.
The project took 20 months to complete.
Most of the furniture is individually designed and made for Maya by a well known Sri Lankan furniture designer specialising in contemporary furniture, in collaboration with Pradeep and myself.
Other pieces are individually designed in polished cement. The antique furniture is from my own personal collection, hand picked over many years spent living in south east Asia. These antique pieces provide warmth and elevate the interiors to humanise the property, and for layering in a personal perspective.
Most of the lights are also individually designed for Maya by a specialist Sri Lankan lighting designer in collaboration with myself. I was living in India during the renovation project and have been living here ever since. India is a great source of inspiration for design in every aspect including fabrics and materials, so most of these were brought over from India. It was important to ensure the interiors stood out, as there was only a limited source of options at the time in Sri Lanka.
My advice to would be restorers is to keep things simple, as these properties are exposed to the elements, so there is always a lot of maintenance involved if you over complicate the project.
The peace and tranquility of Maya is what I enjoy the most about being on the property. Within minutes of arriving you immediately unwind, and are transformed instantly into a relaxed state of mind.
