Fit for a king

The lounge has traditional jhula and colonial-style furniture.
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Once this was done, the architects drew the conclusion that their first priority had to be the roof structure.

So, after removing the tiles, they began the repairs of the roof – replacing the broken and termite-eaten members, adding structural members where necessary, providing protective coating for the wood, and so on. After that, they attended to the attic floor and ceilings.

“The first floor had an elaborate wooden ceiling. In the verandahs where the ceilings were in a rundown state, the entire ceiling was redone with wooden planks. The doors and windows were intact; however, since they had wooden plank shutters, there was very little light inside the rooms once the windows were closed – so we introduced plain glass selectively for the shutters,” Latha continued.

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The glass also permits a magnificent view of the backwaters from the top of the house.

The upper verandahs had wooden railings and windows, but most were in bad shape, with asbestos panels inserted in several places. These had to be dismantled and replaced with wooden panels.

This was a monumental task that was successfully undertaken thanks to Inspiration’s team of highly-skilled artisans who were experienced in traditional Kerala architecture.

Attention shifted to the walls and interiors after the roof structure was redone. The lime wash and several layers of paint were painstakingly peeled away to expose the original rich lime plaster surface of the walls.

The electrical and plumbing works were totally redone and air-conditioners installed, without tampering with the old walls.

The flooring was removed, a fresh base of concrete was applied after termite treatment, and over it was laid Athangudi tiles with polished red oxide borders and skirtings. Built-in seating on the ground floor was added.

The rooms are furnished with replicas of furniture from the Maharaja’s other palaces – except for a teak bed which His Royal Highness used in Chittoor.

Its design has been replicated in all the beds in the palace, so you can even sleep like a king! The toilets are done up with contemporary fittings and finishes, so you have all the modern-day comforts within a traditional ambience.