2024 Winner
Category - Interior Design - Residential Villa & Bungalow
Vignesh Sekar
STO.M.P
STO.M.P is a design-led architectural practice founded by architect Vignesh Sekar, operating glocally from Madurai. The studio is driven by a commitment to modernism grounded in practical aesthetics, crafting emotionally resonant, functionally rich spaces that respond thoughtfully to their context.
With an inclusive and non-hierarchical ethos, STO.M.P bridges academic theory with on-site realities, blending curiosity, craftsmanship, and critical thinking in equal measure. The studio’s approach is interdisciplinary—drawing from visual arts, cinematic composition, and computational design—to create architecture that is as intuitive as it is intentional.
STO.M.P is celebrated for its ability to respond to landscape, climate, and cultural context with sensitivity and restraint. Their work consistently redefines contemporary Indian residential architecture by embracing natural materials, artisanal techniques, and deeply personal spatial storytelling. Each project balances tactile richness with spatial clarity, offering immersive, timeless environments that leave a lasting impact.
From private homes to cultural spaces, STO.M.P creates architecture that feels lived in, emotionally connected, and rooted in place.
Area: 5000 sq ft
Set against the rhythmic backdrop of the sea, Billy O’ Tea is more than a home—it’s an immersive experience inspired by the spirit of docked ships, seaside folklore, and East Indian traditions. Architect Vignesh Sekar and his team at STO.M.P crafted the home as an indie-coastal sanctuary that blurs the line between reality and imagination.
The architecture flows through spaces that recall maritime stories: from seashell inlays and wave-like flooring patterns to a rowing vessel-inspired amphitheater. The home captures the visual poetry of a seafarer’s world, where every element, material, and turn of space contributes to the narrative. The façade, wrapped in cladded bricks and crawling foliage, conjures up the romantic decay of an abandoned vessel, docked forever.
Designed for a family that loves to host and gather, the home spills into multiple open zones—sun-drenched courtyards, breezy lawns, and a one-of-a-kind amphitheater shaded beneath the expansive southern sky. Rainwater cascades through tiered steps, echoing the sounds of waves and lending drama to the everyday.
Materials play a starring role in setting the atmosphere. A curated palette of Indian marble, Udaipur pink, and Jaisalmer yellow—combined with organic textures and artisanal touches—grounds the home in its regional identity while keeping the aesthetic refined and contemporary. The result is a space that feels at once anchored in its context and ethereal in its execution.
With its signature approach to designing with metaphor and memory, STO.M.P brings a refreshing vision to residential architecture in coastal India. The firm’s philosophy of embedding emotional meaning into spatial design is evident in every curve, cut, and corridor of Billy O’ Tea.
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