House of Screens

Murad Khani’s houses often display a stark exterior with a few plain windows or the occasional carved door decorating the earthen walls. Yet within, houses host a variety of colours, materials, surfaces, and shapes. Many houses have private family courtyards at the centre filled with flowers and trees.

The walls of the House of Screens are panelled with pata, which are traditional wooden shutters. In the summer, the panels are raised, opening up the cool, shadowy rooms to the courtyard and creating a deep colonnade. In the winter, the shuttered panels are closed and keep the warmth in.

The inside of a traditional Murad Khani house, such as the House of Screens, is often filled with decorative plaster decoration, deeply recessed niches and elaborately carved timber panels. 

Looking closer at the decorative detail in timber or plaster reveals a complex mix of shapes and patterns. While symmetry may not always be exact and carving slightly uneven, every detail fits into a school of design or a decorative tradition. Just as every functional element has a reason, so does the decoration.

In the decorative design of these homes, you often find that a single feature is highlighted. A geometric pattern may be repeated, or a central floral motif may stand out against a simpler trim. These refined and crisp surface finishes on the inside of a Murad Khani home stand in contrast to the sturdy earth walls and roofs on the outside.