Get the ‘bagan bari’ stay experience in this villa near Kolkata

The time of bagan baris seems like a different era. However, about an hour’s drive from central Kolkata, just outside the greater city limits is a charming retreat that will give you all the essence of a bagan bari, with a clear, blue pool and contemporary amenities.

Kolkata designer Rini Seal’s bungalow retreat, Seal Villa, is an oasis of calm that you don’t have to travel far to get to. Surrounded by an orchard and a manicured garden, the bungalow is dotted with Rini’s special projects, from DIY upcycled furniture to a jacuzzi pool.

Family home to pandemic project

“My father, who is a doctor, bought this house about 30 years ago. He loves plants and made himself this little jungle away from the city,” says Rini.

“This was always a family home. A getaway for picnics and such, with basic amenities. We wanted to develop this into a homestay or getaway and when we really got the time, things were put together one by one. One table, one cabinet and so on,” she adds

During the lockdowns in 2020, Rini had to close her studio and found herself with a lot of time in hand. “The karigars had all gone home, my studio was shut and I finally had the time to come and stay here and get started on these little projects,” she says. It began with smaller things, like a table that could be painted, and soon moved on to changing the electrical wiring and upgrading the furniture to get the house ready for a stay.

Was it difficult to open a place during the pandemic? “On the contrary, it turned out to be a good time! People were cooped up in their homes, and we only take one booking at a time so they have the place to themselves. Even before we had the pool, we had people booking. Adding the pool only increased that because, again, it’s a private pool, all one family, so it was safe”

Upcycling and the love for DIY

The two-storey villa is peppered with Rini’s own DIY projects and many upcycled gems, and a small surprise awaits you around every garden path and in every room.

“I love old things!” Rini says. “I really appreciate old things — lamps, furniture, lanterns — you don’t find a lot of these things anymore, and often there’s a memory of a person or a time period attached to it. So use them, upcycle and preserve them. Nearly everything in this house is upcycled.”

A walk around Seal Villa’s two floors reveals the various innovative ways mementos of the past and old things have been given a new lease of life, adding to the charm of the home. In the verandah outside, benches from a waiting room from her father’s clinic have made a nice seating area for those times when you want to sit outside and watch the rain, or the fireflies. At the other end of the verandah, a wall of planters with money plants has the seat from an old chair, a ladder and those vintage Milton flasks we’ve all seen on shelfs, with the creeping green winding its way through the assortment.

Old-school shutter windows make up the cabinet doors in the kitchen and the bathroom, as well as one side of the double bed downstairs. All the mirrors in the house are fitted in frames made from old doors. A handpainted table downstairs now looks like an accompanying piece of decor to a similar handpainted cabinet — upcycled from an old masala-storing kitchen cabinet — and a barkosh in the verdah upstairs.

Perhaps the most charming of the upcycled surprises are the two little seats made with old suitcases and an old repurposed trunk. We’ve all seen, or even possess, that one buckled leather or cloth suitcase from our parents’ or grandparents’ time. “They won’t be used as suitcases any longer but there’s a sentimental value there. So we filled it with cushions to make it a cosy little seating spot. The trunk is from 1977 and before cleaning up seemed like a piece of junk, but with some cleaning, painting, and new buckles and fittings, it has become a beautiful addition to the space,” she explains.

A green oasis

A house and a pool are not novelties when considering homestays, so what sets Seal Villa apart? “I think it's the nature surrounding it,” says Rini. “A house and a pool you might get elsewhere but the green that is all around here is the USP. The pool is always cool because it’s in the shade of mango trees and in the night when you float around you can see fireflies twinkling in the trees and stars above.”

Rini’s words are not far-fetched. Every window of the house reveals a new shade of green, and birdsong is a permanent feature of every day. With a bird sanctuary nearby, and lots of green spaces around, feathered visitors of different species are a common sight.

Every season holds a different charm. Winters are for bonfires and barbecues by the garden, or cosy parties with drinks by the little bamboo grove behind the swings at the back of the house. Summers can be spent floating in the shaded pool or sitting by it, feet in the water and chilled beer in hand. The monsoon season is great for a cuppa and watching the rain dance on leaves, petrichor in the air.

There are fruit trees of various kinds in the orchards around, so seasons also bring the gift of seeing boughs laden with fruit and even taking some home if available. Mangoes, litchi, pineapple, guava — the list is long. There is also usually some or the other kind of produce growing in the back areas, so ask for a little tour when you’re here.

Perhaps the USP of Seal Villa is the calm it exudes. The soothing nature of the stay translates to the indoors as well. The house is done up in calming shades of greys and whites, with the handpainted additions and the framed artwork adding pops of colour. The minimalist aesthetic is not often seen in stays with vintage themes, or when making new of an older place.

“It was a conscious decision to have it minimalist,” Rini clarifies. “The artwork was something I drew years ago, inspired from my time as a zoology student. These were doodles that became more and I saved them over the years. When the house happened I found a place for them on the walls.”

Travel details:

• Seal Villa is located in Harinavi, about an hour’s drive from central and south Kolkata. It is well-connected by the EM Bypass. The last stretch of the road approaching the villa passes through a para and is narrow, so be careful when driving
• The villa is pet-friendly, so you are wlcome to bring your furry companions along. They will have a lot of space to run around
• There is one living-cum-bedroom on the ground floor and two rooms upstairs, one double and one single. The house is available for one booking at a time, so you will have the entire place to yourself
• It can accommodate about 6-10 people overnight and 10-25 people for a day picnic or small event
• The pool is outdoors and available for guests to use
• A menu from two home chefs will be provided on booking and lunch and dinner can be ordered. Breakfast is served at the property, and there is also a kitchen with a fridge, microwave, induction and basic supplies
• To book, call 9830295929/9831206332. Tariffs begin from Rs 13,000 for weekdays for overnight stay. and Rs 9,000 for a weekday day-trip for 10 people