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The following excerpts are from a transcript of the article written by Sucheta Pointis.
“It was while Danish national Anders Linnet was paragliding over the valley around the Tiracol River that he spotted his dream place – a sheer cliff facing the most beautiful spot on the scenic river. This was where he and his wife Mette Lange, a Danish architect, would build their dream house with one of the best views in the world.
From the winding road a gate leads down a small flight of steps to a sheer wall of exposed laterite stone. At the side is a door made of wooden bars, reminiscent of old castle gates.
Even knowing that the house must have a good view does not prepare one for the panorama of the river that unfolds upon entry. The Tiracol River, on the border of Goa and Maharashtra creates a magnificent delta with a thick rim of mangroves dipping into the river, whilst further on, thick coconut groves sway in the breeze. Behind these are the Western Ghats.
Mette describes their first house in Goa as being large with a small verandah, but they found themselves spending most of their time on the verandah. Kirinpani is exactly the opposite – one large verandah with a small house attached!
The whole living space is a large open area, divided by different functions. All the flooring is in thick slabs of unpolished Jaisalmer stone. On the far right is a large open plan kitchen that flows into the dining area, where a sturdy, country style dining table sits solidly. The seating is in the form of a bench, hewn out of a massive wooden log about a foot thick. All the wood is of the local, honey blonde coloured variety and goes well with the colour of the floors.
This whole area overlooks the wide estuary over the top of the trees. The low parapet wall makes for a wonderful seating space. A place perfect for sitting and dreaming or just watching the serene river flow by far below.
On a slightly higher level is a built in L shaped stone seat, laid out invitingly with a profusion of colourful cushions. A bit further, a wooden lattice typical of a traditional village home, demarcates the two bedrooms. Inside, the beds are simple, with mosquito netting hung on a square bamboo frame suspended from the ceiling. Sheer muslin curtains shield the room from the mid-day sun, whilst in the mornings the sun makes dreamy patterns through the lattice.
At the far left end of the house is the “open to the sky” bathroom. A curved wall studded with fresh, blue china mosaic forms the shower area. A wooden door with the traditional Goan oyster shell work separates the bathing area from the toilet.
Kiranpani is superb not only in its broad concept of an open plan house, but also in its painstaking detailing. It is truly exceptional with what seamless ease Mette has managed to combine European/Danish design elements with traditional Goan ones, for the house is a very homogenous, highly workable example of a contemporary tropical house.“
Since this article was published Mette has added a delightful third bedroom and second bathroom housed in a small cottage down a flight of stone steps. This brings the total accommodation to 3 bedrooms. And the latest addition is infinity swimming pool and sun decking.
Mette’s latest project is the addition of an infinity swimming pool which will ready to welcome guests from October 2004.
Having read this article we couldn’t wait to visit Kiranpani and were not disappointed. In addition to the stunning home, however, we discovered just how wonderful the location is for birdwatching. You need do nothing more energetic than sit with a cup of coffee and watch the birds at eye level as they catch the thermals and soar above the river. Anders pointed out that if you prefer to join the birds, then this area was one of the best for paragliding – paragliding, was, after all, how he found the site for the house.
As we were leaving, they said we must go to their favourite beach “its 10 minutes away in the car”. We followed their directions and found ourselves on Quelim beach at the very top of the 10 kms stretch of deserted beach that starts in the south at Morjim and ends where the Tiracol River joins the sea. It was wonderful to have the beach to ourselves – and with a friendly shack nearby to cook freshly caught fish.
The area north of Siolim has always been cut off by the Chapora River and a slow ferry crossing and been mainly undiscovered by the average tourist In 2002 the long awaited bridge was completed opening up this stunning area of Goa.
Many determined lovers of utopia however had already made the journey a few years ago and put down roots. This area has attracted artistic and creative people who enjoy a casual lifestyle but demand high standards and know good food, company and ambiance when they see it. When they couldn’t find it they just set it up themselves! Loulou has set up ‘The Olive Ridley’; Florence, Serge and Morgan (Le Restaurante Francaise) opened ‘La Plage’ and Uddam Singh of MTV fame runs ‘The Other Side’ (where the clientele are a “who’s who” of the Bollywood film crowd) - all currently on the top of Goa’s “must do” list. Tiracol Fort Heritage Hotel is also close by and is now being run by Hari and Claudia from Nilaya.
The popular restaurants of Vagator, Anjuna and Baga are also an easy drive.
Kiranpani offers a unique blend of tranquility, simple and stylish accommodation and possibly one of the best views in Goa. All this in an area free from large-scale hotels and little other tourist development. Come and see for yourselves, we are the first here.
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