Standing in a laterite quarry just outside Mangalore, I see experienced workers pull blocks of this unique reddish stone. Running his hand over the rough-hewn surface, my client, a young architect constructing his first house, Surprised by his own response, he remarks, "It's lovely." Building material was never something I thought could be so... evocative.
This moment captures something fundamental about designing spaces in Mangalore—our relationship to local materials is not only practical but also profoundly emotional. The materials native to our coastal Karnataka area tell a narrative that contemporary replacements just cannot equal.
The Quiet Storytellers
Starting Black Pebble Designs, I was keen to include modern, smooth materials I'd observed in worldwide design publications. I soon discovered that Mangalore has its own material language—one that reflects our history, environment, and lifestyle.
The materials usually employed in Mangalorean architecture—laterite stone, red clay tiles, rich local timbers, handmade terracotta, and red oxide flooring—are not only building components. They are quiet storytellers linking us to the land itself and past generations.
Last month, I went to an elderly couple's house that had been in their family for more than 70 years. Though old, the red oxide floors kept their unique sheen and underfoot chill. The grandmother said with pride, "These floors have welcomed four generations of children learning to walk." Synthetic materials just cannot create that sort of connection.
Laterite: Mangalore's Soul Stone
Of all our local resources, laterite stone is particularly dear to me. This porous, iron-rich stone seems unremarkable at first look, having formed from weathered soil in our tropical climate. Its qualities, however, make it exceptionally fit for our surroundings.
"Why would we use laterite when we could buy marble?" Once, a client questioned me, confused by my advice for their garden wall. I said that in our monsoon climate, laterite's porosity naturally controls humidity and temperature. Unlike many contemporary materials that degrade, it ages and exposes to the elements to become stronger. And maybe most importantly, it anchors a house in its site—a laterite wall could not be anywhere but here.
Laterite's look throughout the day is what most intrigues me. Morning light highlights its warm terra-cotta tones; afternoon sun highlights its textural complexity; evening light smooths its roughness. Much like the people who live with it, it's a living material that reacts to its surroundings.
We included a spectacular interior laterite wall in the living room of a family returning to Mangalore after twenty years overseas in a recent project. When she first saw it, the wife told me sobbing, "It feels like home." Only now did I understand how much I missed this.
Beyond the Roof: The Terracotta Legacy
So famous have Mangalore tiles become that they are known all across India by our city name. Traditionally made from the rich local soil, these unique red clay roof tiles were hand-crafted to provide a breathable roofing system ideally suited for our tropical environment.
Although their main function is roofing, I have discovered many ways to include these tiles into modern interiors. Using vintage Mangalore tiles rescued from a destroyed ancestral house, we built a stunning feature wall in one project. Every tile told the story of its handmade origin by means of slight colour and texture differences.
For a restaurant in central Mangalore, we suspended hundreds of tiles from the ceiling at varying heights, creating an undulating terracotta sky above diners. Later, the owner informed me that tourists from abroad often took pictures of this ceiling since they were captivated by this obviously local material employed in an unusual manner.
Apart from tiles, terracotta can be found in Mangalorean homes' ornamental components, cookware, and traditional water containers. There's something profoundly connecting about using materials directly shaped from our own soil—a literal grounding in place that contemporary materials often lack.
Wood: The Warmth of Generations
Traditionally used in Mangalorean homes, teak, rosewood, and jackfruit wood all have cultural and practical value. These hardwoods endure our humid conditions and develop a rich patina over decades of usage.
Working with a family who had preserved the great wooden columns from their grandfather's destroyed house will stay with me forever. Though their new apartment was thoroughly modern, they couldn't bear to part with these hand-carved elements that had witnessed generations of family history.
We designed their entire living space around these pillars, creating a striking juxtaposition between the richly detailed wooden elements and the clean contemporary lines of their new home. The result wasn't a pastiche or museum-like recreation, but a thoughtful conversation between past and present.
Wood in Mangalorean homes often tells family stories. The intricate carvings on doors and pillars frequently depict local flora, fauna, and cultural motifs specific to coastal Karnataka. Unlike mass-produced elements, these carried the distinct handprint of individual artisans—many of whose techniques are disappearing today.
Red Oxide: The Living Floor
Long before polished marble and vitrified tiles became status symbols, red oxide floors were the hallmark of well-built Mangalorean homes. Made from a mixture of cement, crushed tiles, and ferrous oxide, these floors develop a distinctive sheen over years of use.
What makes red oxide truly remarkable is how it improves with age and use. Unlike modern flooring that shows wear as deterioration, red oxide floors develop character through use—the gentle depressions near a frequently used doorway, the subtle shine from decades of bare feet.
They also provide natural cooling, a crucial benefit during our humid summers. I've had clients call me months after installation to express amazement at how comfortable these traditional floors remain even on the hottest days.
In a particularly memorable project, we renovated a 1940s bungalow whose red oxide floors had been covered with ceramic tiles in the 1990s. When we carefully removed these tiles, we discovered the original flooring largely intact beneath. After careful restoration, these floors once again became the soul of the home—carrying seven decades of family history within their rich red surface.
Bringing Tradition Forward
As an interior designer working in Mangalore today, I see my role as a translator between worlds—finding ways to honour these traditional materials while meeting contemporary expectations for functionality and aesthetics.
This doesn't mean creating museum-like replicas of old Mangalorean homes. Instead, it's about understanding the inherent properties and cultural significance of these materials and finding fresh, relevant ways to incorporate them into modern living.
For a tech executive's weekend home near Ullal beach, we paired sleek minimalist furniture with warm laterite walls. The contrast highlighted the textural richness of the stone while creating a space that felt both contemporary and rooted in place. Smart home technology was discreetly integrated throughout, creating a home that functioned for 21st-century living while maintaining a dialogue with local building traditions.
The Sustainability Connection
What strikes me repeatedly is how these traditional materials embody principles of sustainability that we're now desperately trying to recapture. They're locally sourced, minimally processed, naturally adapted to our climate, and designed to last for generations rather than years.
When a young environmentally-conscious couple approached me about designing their first home, they initially asked for the latest eco-friendly imported materials. Instead, I took them to visit several traditional Mangalorean homes and the local quarries and workshops where our indigenous materials are still produced.
"This is more sustainable than anything we could import," the husband realised. "And it connects us to this place in a way nothing else could."
Their completed home became a beautiful example of forward-looking sustainable design that draws directly from local tradition—passive cooling techniques, locally-sourced materials, and designs that will age gracefully over generations.
Finding Your Material Story
The most satisfying projects are those where clients connect emotionally with the materials that shape their spaces. This connection transforms a house into a home that tells their unique story within our shared Mangalorean context.
I encourage clients to touch samples, visit quarries and workshops, and spend time in spaces featuring traditional materials before making decisions. This sensory experience often reveals preferences they didn't know they had—the particular way afternoon light plays across laterite, or the cooling sensation of red oxide underfoot.
The materials we choose shouldn't just be about appearance or even functionality—though these matter enormously. They should speak to something deeper: our connection to this particular place, with its distinctive climate, culture, and history.
In our rapidly homogenising world, where the same materials and designs appear everywhere from Singapore to Stockholm, there's profound value in spaces that could only exist here—homes that are distinctively, authentically Mangalorean while meeting the needs of contemporary life.
When we choose materials thoughtfully, we're not just building spaces—we're continuing a material conversation that's been unfolding along this coast for centuries. And that, to me, is what makes interior design truly meaningful.
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Kshema Rai is the founder of Black Pebble Designs, a premier interior design studio in Mangalore specialising in residential and commercial spaces that honour local heritage while embracing contemporary functionality.
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Black Pebble Designs - Interior Designer in Mangalore
Address: 1104 Planet SKS, Kadri, Mangalore, Karnataka 575004
Phone Number: 8106071763
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