This captivating Georgian-style residence in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire - an affluent, leafy enclave on London's edge - offers more than elegant symmetry and countryside calm. Behind its dignified exterior lies a home alive with energy, intention and deeply personal design, shaped by the ancient Indian architectural science of Vastu Shastra. Here, every room breathes, every colour carries meaning and every detail forms part of a holistic design philosophy.
The project was realised by Vastu Interior Design, the London-based studio led by Rina Patel, who has spent more than two decades exploring the delicate balance between architectural flow, energy alignment and modern aesthetics. For homeowners Sarika and Arun Luthra - who emigrated from India to the UK in the 1990s - this house represents a long-awaited sanctuary for a multigenerational family. The brief was both grand and intimate: a place for warm everyday living and lavish entertaining, steeped in cultural memory yet unapologetically contemporary.
Vastu Shastra: Designing for Flow, Energy and Harmony
From the outset, Vastu Shastra guided every decision. “To those who believe in it, Vastu isn’t decoration - it’s devotion,” says Patel. Together with a Vastu consultant, the team mapped the home using a circular grid that identified elemental zones radiating from the centre of the floor plan.
Each element - water, fire, earth, air and space - determined the room’s colour palette, materiality and spatial arrangement:
Water: cool greens and blues
Fire: deep reds, terracottas and warm pinks
Earth: natural neutrals, greens and grounding shades
Air: pale blues, soft whites
Space: open, minimal, uncluttered zones
A Friendship That Became a Design Journey
The story of this home began not with an architectural commission, but with a friendship forged 25 years earlier. Rina Patel first met caterer Arun Luthra while planning her own wedding. What followed was years of collaboration, trust and eventually the request to design the Luthra family’s forever home - a moment Rina describes as both full-circle and profoundly meaningful.
Working closely with Sarika, whose passion for embellishment, French detailing and layered luxury shaped each creative decision, the design grew into something both deeply personal and spiritually grounded.
Following a monochromatic palette for each room proved creatively demanding. Yet Patel soon found freedom within the constraints, discovering richness through texture, light and form rather than colour alone.
Materiality: Marble, Silk and the Texture of Emotion
To bring nuance to each palette, Patel curated an extraordinary range of materials. Marble became the hero - sourced from Brazil, Italy and Turkey - chosen not merely for beauty but for its innate energy and movement.
Layers of metal finishes, woven silks, metallic wallpapers and natural fibres create sensual depth. Every surface, fabric and finish was vetted to ensure alignment with Vastu principles and emotional resonance.
Distinct Moods, One Cohesive Identity
The result is a home with a mood for every moment. The whiskey lounge is dark, indulgent and dramatic - evoking the intimacy of a classic gentleman’s club. The expansive family living room, by contrast, is bright and effortless, designed for both bustling gatherings and quiet afternoons. A blue-toned snug offers a calming retreat, while each bedroom is shaped as a private sanctuary, infused with its own elemental palette.
“Throughout the project, I used to joke that Sarika must have lived at the court of Louis XIV in another life,” says Patel. “Her love for opulence was relentless - in the best way. This home became an exercise in balancing discipline with indulgence.”
A Home of Scale and Soul
Spanning 8,500 square feet (790m²) across three floors, the house features a grand marble-floored entrance hall, five reception rooms, a formal dining area, a spacious kitchen-diner and a concealed secondary chef’s kitchen. Upstairs, eight ensuite bedrooms ensure privacy and comfort for a growing family and frequent visiting grandparents. A charming upstairs snug creates a dedicated hangout for the children, while a pool house at the edge of the garden completes the lifestyle picture.
In Patel’s words, the home is “a contemporary classic infused with craft, soul and energy - a true reflection of the client’s personality, rooted in tradition yet full of originality.” It stands as a testament to the power of good design, deep friendship and the ancient wisdom of creating homes that work with their inhabitants, not against them.
Credits
Interior design: Vastu Interior Design, Instagram: @rina_vastu
Photography by Vigo Jansons, Instagram: @vigojansons
Production by Karine Monié, Instagram: @karinemonie
