The Enchanted Woods: A Tropical Escape of Courts and Meandering Paths is a landscape architecture project located alongside a riverbank in Chikhli, Gujarat, designed by Vadodara-based Indian architecture and landscape design practice Studio DesignSeed. Weaving a sensorial experience around existing elements on the site, such as the dense orchard, river, terrain and surrounding natural landscape, the Indian architects take one through seven ‘pause points’ that offer respite and a closer connection with nature. The expansive 40,000 sq ft landscape intervention, together with the contemporarily designed residential building and an outhouse, create the perfect weekend retreat for the Surat-based client.

In a conversation with STIR, on their project Courtyard House by the Water, founder Apeksha Ghia Ray revealed the inspiration behind the name of the studio. Using ‘seed’ as a metaphor, the landscape architect thought of fostering a design idea and transforming it into a ‘beautiful outcome’, emphasising the importance of the creative process. Since its inception, the practice has been designing environments intertwined with existing ecosystems, where individual interventions are ‘alive’ and correlated, coming together to form a cohesive user experience.

The compound wall, made from hand-chiselled stones sourced from Rajasthan, offers a glimpse of the private residence enveloped in nature as one approaches the site. A gently curved pathway navigates through a series of rich flora, including calatheas, heliconias, costus and traveller palms, connecting different places of respite scattered throughout the site. “Studio DesignSeed’s philosophy of 'creating an experience' is realised in the path's design, which doubles as a jogging track, connecting every part of the landscape,” states the press release. “The path becomes more than a route to the house, it’s a vital design element guiding users and framing their experience,” it continues. Mounds of varied heights and steepness, a combination of dense and thin foliage and multiple series of plantations constitute an organic, interpersonal and experiential journey in an “almost mysterious progression”. The client’s collection of vintage artefacts, such as earthen pots and other decorative objects, are scattered throughout the residential landscape.

“In addition to practical pathways, ‘pause points’ punctuate the landscape—places to stop, admire and reflect, anchored by existing trees and designed elements like the semicircular ‘Chikoo Court’,” states the studio. The chikoo tree and the raised semicircular pedestal—inspired by India’s vernacular architectural element otla—at the entrance of the house create a curious and inviting atmosphere and act as the first two ‘pause points’.

Venturing deeper into the site, one stumbles upon the third point, a raised seating platform encircling the girth of the large mango tree, reminiscent of village squares, the Mango Court. The Treehouse, integrated with the Mango Court, is a metal structure amidst lush foliage that facilitates an active children’s playscape and an elevated platform to admire the natural landscape, becoming the fourth point. The conversation pit near the outhouse creates an isolated area of respite surrounded by mounds of greenery and slender trees such as the Cypress, acting as the fifth point, relatively more private than the other vantage points. The journey ends with the last two ‘pause points’, the outdoor pool sheltered by another mango tree and the private garden outside the bedroom that offers quiet moments of self-reflection and relaxation to the residents.

Describing The Enchanted Woods as a “sensory journey”, embodying “rustic charm, cultural references and thoughtful spatial design”, Studio DesignSeed weaves a seamless and grounded contextual narrative. The interplay of layered foliage, varied plant heights, colours and textures within the landscape architecture reveals and conceals the lush greenery, facilitating privacy, anticipation and wonder. The ‘pause points’ almost act as meditative spaces that make one appreciate the simplicity of nature and existence, connecting the natural and built environments on the site in a cohesive identity.

Project Details:

Name: The Enchanted Woods- A Tropical Escape of Courts and Meandering Paths
Location: Chikhli, Gujarat
Landscape Architect: Studio DesignSeed
Lead Landscape Architect: Apeksha Ghia Ray
Residence Architect: The Company of Design
Area: 40,000 sq ft
Year of Completion: 2024