Home Tour: Peek inside Braganza House in Sri Lanka, where boho-chic dreams come to life

Every designer wants a blank canvas, and no slate is cleaner than an empty plot of land. That was the starting point of the wonderful Braganza House, a private four-bedroom villa located 20 minutes’ drive from the UNESCO World Heritage site Galle Fort in Sri Lanka.

“As an expat in Singapore, we all long to be able to live in our own homes rather than renting. My dream was always to be able to design and build my own home as I do for our clients,” said Chloe Elkerton, founder of E&A Interiors, a firm known for crafting colourful, characterful spaces.

Having lived in Singapore for over 15 years, Elkerton is familiar with the region having travelled to India, Indonesia and beyond. No place, however, has captured her heart as much as Sri Lanka. “It started in 2011 when my mother and I took a three-week trip around the island and fell in love with the stunning southern beaches of Talpe and the historical Galle Fort. We began to meet there for the holidays. It ticked all the boxes — and just 10 hours from London and four hours from Singapore,” she said.

Sri Lanka’s raw charm really appeals to Elkerton, and she took every opportunity to visit given its proximity to Singapore. “There is nowhere else quite like it. The landscape is so diverse, from the hill country to the beaches, to the ancient rock of Sigiriya. Not to mention the incredible wildlife, rich culture and history, delicious food and the beautiful people,” she said.

Getting to know Sri Lanka over the years cemented the idea that it was a place where she could build her dream home. In 2015, Elkerton sold her flat in London and began the search for a plot of land in and around the Galle area. While she initially had her heart set on a beachfront property, she immediately felt a connection with a site shown to her by an Italian architect friend just a few minutes inland from the shore. Seeing the fertile land with only the derelict remains of a small house surrounded by jungle, Elkerton knew she had found her special corner of the world. The pretty village of Mihiripenna, about a kilometre from the lovely beaches of Talpe, is the lush setting for Braganza House.

LAY OF THE LAND

Being in the design trade, Elkerton knew exactly what she wanted. “My initial vision was to create a ‘beach house in the countryside’ different from the many modern tropical villas on the island. As wonderful as they are, I wanted to create something unique and fresh — a place that encompassed my journey in life so far as well as the people and places that have influenced me,” she shared.

Most of Elkerton’s work in Singapore are renovations for busy urbanites, where space is at a premium and construction work rife with restrictions. Over the years, she and her team have learned a lot about designing for a tropical climate, but this was the first ground up project they worked on. In terms of creativity, sky was the limit — there was no need to curb her penchant for bold colours, playful patterns, or curious details. “This was my opportunity to create something really special that showcased what we do and that was an extension of myself.”

But first, the foundation: Elkerton was dead-set on a single storey house with rooms off a courtyard rather than looking onto the pool. She also wanted a separate suite with far-reaching views located away from the other bedrooms but still connected to the main house. Her early sketches deftly articulated what she had in mind, but she was worried about one thing — the roof. “I had no idea how that was going to work! The architectural side was challenging. We worked directly with a contractor in Sri Lanka and engaged a local architect to help with just the planning of the roof.”

Inspired by traditional Sri Lankan bungalows, Braganza House boasts an open and spacious layout in keeping with the natural surroundings and features local building elements like built-in polished concrete features. A source of inspiration was the Bawa House and Gardens at Lunuganga, but Elkerton was also influenced by trips she took to Zanzibar, Mallorca, and Andalusia, as well as the mosques in Galle Fort nearby.

THE GREAT INDOORS

The real magic unfolds when you enter Braganza House — a splendid vision of a grown up, bohemian-chic tropical villa full of personality. You’re greeted by an antique front door adorned with hand-carved rosettes, and walk through the open courtyard paved with striking green Moroccan Bejmat tiles. “This seems to be a favourite space of many, especially when it rains. The roof is open so it becomes quite atmospheric also when a full moon is shining down,” she shared.

The strong sense of arrival continues when you pass through a barrel vaulted hallway that leads to the spacious sunken room accentuated with large rattan lanterns. Eyes are drawn to the arched doorways with latticed transoms offering views of the verdant tropical gardens.

The house is a triumphant showcase of Elkerton’s ability to mix eclectic touches but still create a cohesive look. The furnishings are a blend of artisan-made furniture, hand-picked antiques, personal artworks as well as exquisite fabrics from renowned designers such as Peter Dunham, Penny Morrison, Fermoie, Beata Heuman and Vaughan Designs.

In terms of colour, she was inspired by the beaches of Sri Lanka, as well as the flora and fauna found in the garden and jungle beyond. “I commissioned the seascape on the bookcase in the sitting room by Cornish artist Nina Brook – it’s painted at one of my favourite parts of the beach in Talpe and these colours are bought out through the fabrics and finishes throughout.”

A particular decor highlight are pieces sourced from her “local antiques guy” Gamini in Talpe. From the antique doors and windows that add texture to the clean white walls to a beautiful Dutch armchair in the Palm suite, Elkerton was able to weave whatever she fell in love into the space.

While Braganza House is open for private rentals, Elkerton openly displays pieces from her art collection. “I have several pieces by my favourite artist Mary Maguire such as birds, a leopard and flowers that I had framed locally in bobbin frames. The pair of antique inlay chairs at the desk in the sitting room and the stunning peacock mirror in the hallway are also from Udaipur and the beaded Yoruba chairs at the entrance are from West Africa,” she shared. Everything down to the books and decorative trays was hand-picked by her, which sparked the recent extension of the E&A brand called “Elkie’s Edit”.

LIFE, COLLECTED

Building a house from scratch — during the pandemic, no less — did come with a few hiccups. “The antique doors and windows naturally came in different sizes, which made the architectural planning much more complicated. I panicked that having antique windows at the front of the house of different sizes would be a disaster. How wrong I was! They look perfect and add to the charm of the house,” she says.

The organic-shaped infinity pool was another challenge. The beach-entry required a natural gradation into the water, which was very different to what’s often made in Sri Lanka. They found it hard to get the levelling, shape, and terrazzo finish right.

All these are worth the trouble, given how effortlessly elegant Braganza House looks. Elkerton is rightly proud about it, and has opened it to guest bookings through Eden Villas, a trusted luxury vacation rental company that has been operating for over 20 years.

When she’s lounging in her own home, where would you find her? Likely at Lionel’s Bar, a rustic alfresco dining area overlooking the pool, named after their tuk tuk driver. Perhaps also at Ambalama, a seating area offering sweeping views of the countryside through fretwork inspired by the mosques in Galle Fort. “It’s the perfect place for sunset cocktails or to read a book listening to the wonderful wildlife of peacocks, birds and monkeys.”

With all the personal touches in every nook and cranny, does Elkerton have a favourite? “The Shell Room is particularly special to me because it showcases the many shells that I treasure so much collected over the years in Sri Lanka from our dear local friend Lalith.” The best bit of this space: A porthole window that looks down to the pool, offering an intimate connection with the world beyond.