Mood Boards and Mud Blocks

Since my final year in college, I had a strong liking for CSEB blocks and wanted this building to be made of just them. I started learning about them initially since they were eco-friendly (compared to burnt bricks), but not as eco-friendly as Adobe or Cob houses. I also attended the basics of the CSEB course in Auroville where the blocks were made with about 6% cement and were machine-pressed by labourers (because Auroville believes in giving livelihood to local people and prefers less mechanization).

Machinery used in Auroville for making CSEB Blocks

I loved the concept of how Auroville made those bricks with labour livelihood in mind, but I realized to make CSEB blocks like that at my place would be cost, and time-expensive. Moreover, my place didn’t have the suitable soil to make CSEB blocks like in Auroville, therefore I decided to outsource them. I found out about this company called Earth Blocks on the internet and paid a visit to their factory in Bangalore. I was quite impressed by how the person in charge instilled hope and confidence about constructing using the blocks. He also encouragingly said, "It's your first project and you are likely to make mistakes, but that's okay, you'll learn from it." They made CSEB Blocks with about 10% cement and used hydraulic machines because their goals were commercial.

Of course, they are more expensive than normal burnt bricks, but they have higher accuracy and aesthetics and save a little time and money as the blocks need not be plastered or painted.

The CSEB Blocks could be used for load-bearing structures (which I plan to do) but they have different dimensions. Therefore, I had to make changes in the wall thickness in my plan.

Creating the Mood Board

Of all the pre-processing and planning, this has been the most exciting part for me because this is where I start dreaming.

I look up to architects for how they think and how they work. Their aesthetics, patience, and skills. (My regret about not becoming an architect doubled on encountering Tara from Ok Kanmani)

So this Mood Board is my way of trying to bring about ideas and concepts and visualize what the house would look like. It's a collage of all the ideas and pictures put together in one place. I did my mood board using OneNote (another useful app could be Google Jamboard).

I began by placing the plan at the centre and started placing snips of my inspirations from Pinterest and Instagram around them based on where they would be seen. Once I started arranging them, I had conflicting ideas about how traditional the house should be and the percentage of modern aspects it should include.

I love deep window sills that let you sit on them, and I desperately wanted a circular window with a sill that I can sit on. I chose to add these to both rooms. Initially, I had one of them on the wall adjacent to the kitchen but realized the circular shape disturbed the symmetry in the elevation, therefore restricted to placing them only in the rooms. They were made to face the outside for the view. (Challenge: the walls are all 6" thick whereas the sill should be at least 1.5'-2' deep so that it can comfortably hold a sitting human)

I also wanted the sill levels to be low (at a height of 2' from the floor level) for aesthetics. And as I mentioned before, to maximize the light and wind entering the house, I wanted as many windows as possible in the house. Even when they had to be shut close, I thought the light entering would be necessary, and I compromised on the privacy part and chose glass window doors over wooden window doors (Perk: Glass windows are less expensive than wooden window doors). I also wanted simple metal rods running from bottom to top and probably a partition on top that has glass permanently fixed on it.

The windows I decided should be slim, long, and numerous. So I decided to go with a size 6' x 5' window size with window doors of width 1.5'.

Inspired by my days in Kerala, I thought I'll add Thinnais and Thoons to the building since it's also a farmhouse and it is coming out in a traditional style. (Challenge: Thoons are expensive carpentry works)

This French window inspiration (on the mood board) I saw on Pinterest - the moment I saw it, I knew I want it exactly the same way. It just looks so serene and inviting. And it also helped me decide the colour of all the carpentry work in the home. I had initially thought of two French windows on the adjacent walls in the courtyard, but later thought that might be redundant and chose to stick to French windows on one wall and just windows on the other wall, but they would be broader than the usual windows in the room.

From YouTube videos, I learned that Karaikudi would be a good place to start ideating about carpentry. They also sell refurbished windows, doors, and other wooden items that were removed from old traditional Karaikudi houses. Therefore, we planned a visit to Karaikudi with the help of one of our relatives there and looked out for the main doors and room doors.

I had a few options for the flooring: Athangudi Tiles, Press Clay Tiles, and Kota Stones. By the time I am typing this blog, I still haven't finalized what to choose, but I am more inclined towards the Kota stone (especially grey or blue). Negative points for Athangudi tiles are that they seem too colourful or decorative for this setup, and the press clay tiles - feel too ordinary.

People suggested that the kitchen just at the entrance of the house would be weird, so I decided maybe an island counter in the middle would do. I thought that could be made movable so that there was always room for more space.

This is the detailed run-through of the ideas that have been forming in my mind since I started working on this mood board, and my mood board has been the most appreciated factor when I shared my work with my friends for suggestions, and yes, I am proud of it!

As always, thanks for reading!

You are amazing!

Meet you in the next blog.