Recent Project · 2026

Chilkur, in solid wood.

Chilkur Farmhouse, 5,000 sq ft of custom teak, rosewood, cane and brass, built in our Ernakulam workshop and placed into a home designed by Nihal & Namitha Architects.

Location: Chilkur, Hyderabad
Built area: 5,000 sq ft
Architects: Nihal & Namitha Architects
Year: 2026

DECORMATE teak four-poster bed and captain's chairs in the Chilkur farmhouse primary bedroom, with Chettinad terracotta tile floor and exposed wood beams

01 / The Brief

A rooted house, not a glossy one.

The client did not want the polished-marble finish common in Hyderabad farmhouses. He wanted a second home that felt like the traditional South Indian houses he grew up visiting, informal, warm, and quiet. The architects brought in a shortlist of regional languages: Athangudi tiles underfoot, lime-washed walls, terracotta jaalis, brass hardware, and a central courtyard.

The furniture had to speak the same language. That's where our workshop came in.

02 / Our Role

Almost every timber piece in the house, made to order in Kerala.

Beds, cabinets, consoles, dining chairs, teapoys, bar shelving, a six-foot card table, drawn to the architects' intent, built in our workshop, and shipped to site. We worked in solid teak and rosewood, with hand-woven cane shutters, hand-carved detail, Kerala brass hardware, and painted-tile inlays on the pieces where the architects wanted a point of colour.

01Solid teak & rosewood frames
02Hand-woven cane shutters
03Kerala brass hardware
04Hand-painted tile inlays

03 / The Pieces

A few of the pieces we delivered.

Each piece was drawn for its room, the architects would send us a sketch or a reference, we'd build the piece in Ernakulam, and the finished object would travel to Hyderabad.

DECORMATE teak demi-lune console with hand-painted floral tile inlay and blue glass drawer knob

The demi-lune console

Entryway · Teak, painted-tile inlay, blue glass knob, cabriole legs

A half-moon console with floral tile panels, turned spindles, and a single blue glass pull.

DECORMATE teak demi-lune hallway console with tambour drawer and fluted tapered legs

Tambour-drawer console

Hallway · Teak, tambour drawer, fluted tapered legs

A quieter demi-lune, all line, no ornament, with a tambour that hides the drawer face.

DECORMATE dark rosewood bench with hand-woven cane top and heavy turned legs

Rosewood cane bench

Foyer · Solid rosewood, hand-woven cane, turned legs

A heavy bench on four turned legs, with a cane top woven over a week by a single weaver.

Planter's chair

Reading corner · Rosewood, hand-woven cane, palm-print linen

An Anglo-Indian planter's chair, scroll arms, cane back, reeded tapered legs, palm-print cotton.

DECORMATE rosewood coffee table with hand-carved horse-leg supports and glass top

Horse-leg coffee table

Living · Rosewood, hand-carved, glass top

The prancing-horse corner is an old Chettinad temple-chariot motif, each carved from a single block of rosewood.

DECORMATE rosewood settee with cane side panels and elephant block-print cushions

Elephant-print settee

Living · Rosewood, cane panels, hand-blocked cotton

A two-seater with cane side panels, a hand-blocked elephant print cushion, and lathe-turned ball-finial posts.

1,200 km Ernakulam → Hyderabad
1 workshop Every piece, under one roof
0 plywood Solid teak and rosewood only

DECORMATE teak four-poster bed in the Chilkur farmhouse primary bedroom with Chettinad tile floor

The four-poster

Primary bedroom · Teak, turned posts, palm-print headboard

A traditional Kerala four-poster, scaled to sit comfortably under a modern ceiling.

DECORMATE teak armoire with hand-blocked blue fabric panels and brass coral-motif pulls

Panelled armoire

Guest bedroom · Teak, block-print fabric panels, brass pulls

Door panels inset with a hand-blocked blue cotton; cast-brass pulls in a coral motif.

DECORMATE teak dressing table with oval pivoting mirror, twin trinket boxes, and matching upholstered stool

Dressing table & stool

Dressing · Teak, oval pivoting mirror, matching stool

A pivoting oval mirror, two drawers in the apron, and a pair of trinket boxes flanking the glass.

DECORMATE teak writing desk with rope-carved edge, reeded turned legs, and brass drop-pull hardware

Writing desk & chair

Study · Teak, rope-carved edge, reeded legs, brass drop pulls

Rope carving along the top edge, reeded turned legs, antique-brass drop pulls.

A Kerala house of furniture, 1,200 kilometres from Kerala. Every piece was drawn, built, oiled and crated under one roof in Ernakulam.
The DECORMATE workshop

04 / Credits

With thanks to the team.

Architecture & Interiors: Nihal & Namitha Architects, Nihal Thomas & Namitha Pradeep
Furniture: DECORMATE, Ernakulam
Tiles: Duree Designs (Athangudi)

05 / As featured in

Covered by The Ideal Home & Garden

The project was featured in both the magazine's online feature and their Instagram reel.

Chilkur farmhouse exterior at sunset, The Ideal Home & Garden feature

The magazine

The full feature

The architect's story on theidealhomeandgarden.com · Aug 2026

Read the feature

Instagram feature

The photo reel

@theidealhomeandgarden's post on the Chilkur project

Open on Instagram

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