The Traditional “Nadumuttam” House Designs

The ‘nadumattam is a throwback to the old Kerala style of housing where more than one family lived in a home. The Kerala ‘nalukettu’ homes typically had four blocks built in all the four directions around a nadumattam.

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The nadumattam refers to an open courtyard within the house which was the focal point of family gatherings, interactions, activities, and festivities. The larger and wealthier families would even have more than one nadumattam, thus featuring eight or twelve blocks. This classical architectural style evolved during the 18th and 19th centuries when the wealthy Nairs and Namboodiris dominated society.

The activities in such homes were overseen by a family patriarch and matriarch with multiple generations living under one roof. The nalukettu homes with nadumattams were built on the principles of ‘thachu shastra’ or the science of carpentry and used wood extensively. Such homes were usually sprawling single-storey homes, but could go up to three-storeys high.

Such homes were typically made of rich teakwood or wood from jackfruit trees and bricks and mud. Interestingly, such homes were always well-ventilated with the open courtyards or nadumuttams bringing insufficient light and cross-ventilation through the gabled windows. The entrance of such homes also had a wide covered veranda to receive visitors. The rooms surrounding the nadumuttams were designed for separately storing valuables, grains, utilities, dining halls, prayer rooms, a well, bedrooms, etc.