Isla’s Ridge 客舍丨印度

Loulou Van Damme's guest house harks back to her birthplace in lush South Indian hills

In the foothills of the Western Ghats, in an abandoned coffee estate in the lower Palani Hills, designer and stylist Isla Maria Van Damme has built a guest house in her inimitable style.

Pot Luck and her son Diamond were named after the horses in Loulou’s childhood home in Bombay. Sturdy hill ponies are still used to transport produce up and down the rugged terrain of the mountains. But the mother and son duo lead a charmed life here at Isla’s Ridge.

We are deep in coffee country in this far corner of the

Western Ghats

. The silence is broken by the occasional shriek of a peacock, the buzz of crickets, and the sounds of birds, frogs and other creatures of the forest. There is a dense fragrance in the air, a heady combination of coffee blossoms, ripe jackfruit, and aromatic spices.

We turn the last corner to Isla’s Ridge, the new five-room guest house of designer and stylist,

Isla Maria Van Damme

. It is a short walk over from her own home and we stop to admire the two white double-storeyed buildings, striking in their simplicity. We walk over to the terrace where Van Damme greets us with a jug of home-made lemonade. Beyond the ridge, the land falls in gentle gradients, with sweeping views of mountains, vast skies, and far beyond, the shimmering Kamaraj Sagar reservoir.

The two adjacent white buildings that comprise the guest house face the escarpment. Their stark lines are softened by the gentle curves of Mughal-inspired arches framed between pillars and the vivid green of native tropical plants.

Loulou, as she is known to her friends, is a woman of many talents but it is her inimitable personal style that really sets her apart. Whether dressed in jewels and haute couture garments at a glitzy event in the city or clad in oversized men’s pants and a colourful headscarf while scouting for groceries in Kodaikanal where I often meet her, she exudes the same casual chic vibe.

Isla’s Ridge owner and designer Loulou Van Damme seen through a profusion of bright Tacoma blooms.

The designer was born in Kodaikanal, a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, to Belgian parents who lived in Bombay where she spent her early childhood. After moving to England to finish her education, she decided to establish herself as a designer in Belgium. But India was never far from her mind and she would often return to scout for fabric and antiques for her shop, Santosh, in Brussels.

The terrace on the ridge is the setting of many memorable meals and get-togethers. Loulou’s country-chic cooking is showcased perfectly against the backdrop of this stunning vista.

These visits eventually led to her starting a restaurant and guest house in Goa, where she realized her passion for cooking and hospitality. Inspired by the Sri Lankan architect

Geoffrey Bawa

, Loulou also built her dream house there, high on a hillock, overlooking a mangrove forest.

The thatched cabana, reminiscent of old Tamil village houses with a thinnai (porch), is a few steps away from the pool and camouflages the utilities room at the rear.

Her next move would take her back to the hills where she was born. When she visited an abandoned 15-acre coffee estate in the lower parts of Palani Hills with dramatic views of the plains, she knew she had found the perfect place. “There is a certain energy in these mountains and this spot near the foothills has the best environment for everything I love to do— cook, entertain, make cheese, tend to my garden,” the designer says.

The long verandas that wrap around the two buildings that comprise the Isla’s Ridge guest house are multifunctional. Besides connecting rooms, they serve as spaces to sit with a cup of coffee and a book. Here, a group of vintage photographs and brassware make an interesting vignette; around the corner, just outside one of the rooms, two deep lounge chairs face the mountains.

On a clear day you can see forever—the large grassy terrace on the ridge offers a 180-degree view of the hills and plains.

Loulou started building Isla’s Ridge soon after she finished her own home, which blends some of the features of

colonial bungalows

—such as broad, open verandas—with her own contemporary designs. The guest house has some markedly European features like all-white roofs, which, she tells me, are a common architectural feature there. These “cool roofs” absorb less heat—an effective, passive solution to cool down the temperature indoors.

A painting of a young bohemian Loulou takes centre stage in the intimate living space. Books fill two ornate glass cupboards and spill over onto the centre table in front of the Kalamkari fabric–clad sofa. Guests linger here on chilly days, when the cast iron stove (on the left) is lit.

The living room on the ground floor of the guest house is a warm, intimate space with large comfortable sofas, a coffee table with a stack of books, and an antique cast-iron fireplace for cool, rainy days. On the wall is a large painting of a striking young woman—clad in harem pants and a mirror-work blouse, her face framed by a bandanna—whom I instantly recognize as a very young Loulou. “Yes, that’s me, painted by an artist friend. I was in my 20s—bohemian. I still am, I suppose,” Loulou laughs.

In a corner that looks out to the rear courtyard, an antique marble-topped pedestal table sits below a collection of vintage photographs.

A view of the dining room adjoining the living area, at dusk when the lamps are lit. The mood and ambience are mellow, and effectively tell the story of Isla’s Ridge, where the living is easy.

A large 19th-century

pichvai

overlooks the long dining table which is set with a charming mix of Jaipur fabrics and vintage crockery. Just off this room is another veranda that leads to the kitchen, where Loulou is tossing salads for lunch using fresh produce just brought in from her kitchen garden.

A fascinating vignette of images and artefacts connects the living and dining spaces. A large pichvai hangs on the wall above the ornate pedestal table, which holds a pair of antique candlesticks and other artefacts. The embroidered carpet on the floor, created by Kashmiri artisans, was inspired by the tiger rugs made to protect Tibetan monks while meditating. To the left is a tall wooden “chofa” from Thailand, an architectural ornament placed on rooftops to ward off evil spirits.

This alcove in an upstairs room, with an ornate writing desk, also has a view of the mountains. The room—like every other space—has been designed to bring the outdoors in.

This is a

kitchen

after my own heart, with everything in place for memorable culinary experiments—good lighting, prime equipment, and ample storage and counter space. The kitchen garden is conveniently set just outside in a small courtyard, with fresh herbs, tomato, lettuce, and salad greens growing in square beds. Beyond this are clusters of seasonal fruit trees from where avocado, banana, and lime are harvested for this meal, and the eggs in her signature egg salad come from the hens in her backyard.

A section of the large kitchen, which opens out onto the herb and salad garden—the central island is large enough to hold all the tools, accoutrements and fresh produce used to create the guest house’s gourmet meals.

After a sumptuous lunch that showcases Loulou’s exceptional cooking skills, we walk over to the rooms, each one a spacious tranquil retreat, decorated in pastel hues. Every piece of art or furniture has been hand-picked by Loulou, some even brought over from her homes in Goa. A little alcove with a writing desk, an antique gilded vanity mirror, an unusual clover-shaped table from Chor Bazaar, airy bathrooms sans doors—these are some of the features that make each room distinct.

A room with a view—the deep hues of dusty-rose drapes and bed linen make for the perfect foil for the mist that rolls in through the french windows by noon. A picture of subdued elegance and country charm.

A spacious airy bathroom clad with pastel-coloured tiles from Bharat Floorings, placed off-centre to create interesting new patterns—one of Loulou’s signature design tweaks.

We move to the

terrace

for coffee and dessert—a luscious plum tart—at a table set under a lone tree facing the mountains. Loulou says, “I want this to be a tranquil retreat—a space to clear your head and rest a while. But I also see it being a place of creativity, where artists and writers can gather. Isla’s Ridge can be a space for yoga, meditation, art, cooking, or gardening.” Or just a place where you can sit by the swimming pool and absorb the magnificent views before you.

The panoramic view from the paved terrace in front of the guest house—a charpoy under the large ficus tree makes a perfect seat for meditation or cloud gazing. The swimming pool is on the right, a short walk away along the ridge.

Sky, mountains, lush greenery and the sound of silence—the pool runs parallel to the ridge in front of the guest house. It is just one of the many spaces to spend a lazy morning.

It is hard to separate Loulou’s homes and projects from the person—very much like Geoffrey Bawa, her muse, whose body of work is firmly stamped with his legendary style. Loulou values natural materials and landscapes, and incorporates these elements into all her projects. She loves the beauty of old wood and castaway objects, picking up many of her prized pieces of furniture from dusty warehouses and antique shops. The guest house is an extension of her own home and life, with beauty and sustainability at its core. It is her zest for life and its infinite possibilities that has manifested in the form of a life Loulou wants. “There are just too many things to do, why stop at one or two?”