Maria Goretti and Arshad Warsi have beautifully restored a 150-year-old Portuguese home in the sleepy village of Saligao, Goa, and its unique interiors truly transport you to another world.
The couple opens their doors for the eighth season of Asian Paints' Where The Heart Is.
Welcome to Casa Zen!
Maria and Arshad's Goa home has vibrant hues and colours, and packs in a lot of heritage and style.
It also has a beautiful swimming pool, that can be glimpsed above.
The couple restored the house in 2021, and is among the three homes that they built together 'from scratch'.
The house has high ceilings and airy rooms, quite a contrast from many Mumbai homes.
As an avid artist, Arshad finds solace in painting, drawing inspiration from the serene surroundings of his Goa retreat.
'Sometimes, I just put colours together, layer prints on prints, and put various elements together -- and I think it works. Sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is less,' Maria says, explaining how she designed the home.
A sign at the entrance reads 'Peace to all who enter here'.
The dining room, adorned with Asian Paints forest-themed wallpaper from the Nilaya range, complements the intricately carved wooden chairs painted in shades of green.
Details like Portuguese coins, 3D fish sculptures and Christmas tree décor are tucked into unexpected corners, transforming their home into a treasure trove of hidden gems.
'A lot of the corners in this house don't meet perfectly, but that's what's so beautiful about it -- it's not perfect,' Maria says.
There is lush greenery surrounding the house.
'Every time you visit a new place, you pick up something and put it in your house. Your house becomes a big album of your life -- so making a home never really ends, and that's the beauty of it,' Arshad says.
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