Tucked inside of Aldona, looking out toward the Moira River, Toybox sits as a 160-year-old Goan-Portuguese home brought back to life by Grounded with a mix of restraint and clarity. The studio didn’t attempt to reinvent the house; instead, they worked with its existing intelligence, the thick 24-inch laterite walls, passive cooling strategies, deep verandahs, and the inward rhythm of its rooms, to shape a home that feels both lived-in and newly awake.

Lime plaster, reclaimed teak, and micro-concrete floors create a consistent material palette that ties the old with the new. The interventions are not dramatic but purposeful. The traditional balcão, for instance, the semi-public threshold where most Goan homes negotiate community, is reinterpreted with sliding-folding teak doors that allow the space to shift from open to enclosed. It keeps the social function of the verandah intact while making it adaptable to contemporary living patterns.

The landscape is treated with the same care. The long garden leading to the house, shaded by mango, chikoo, and coconut trees, acts as a natural filter for heat, sound, and light. Grounded retained the existing trees and let them dictate how the site is approached, ensuring the garden feels like an extension of the house rather than an aesthetic add-on.

Inside, the design becomes more intimate. Light wells and subtle skylights brighten what were once dim corridors, allowing natural light to pool in places that had remained in shadow for decades. A sculptural kitchen window creates a framed view outward while improving cross-ventilation. These edits aren’t meant to announce themselves, they are quiet upgrades that help the house breathe better.

Wooden rafters that were too delicate to remain in the ceiling were repurposed into chevron-patterned flooring, preserving their presence in a new form. Old teak found on-site was crafted into furniture, allowing the home’s original material history to become part of its future. Heritage elements, the 1860 stone crest at the entrance and a damaged prayer niche in the kitchen, were carefully repaired, anchoring the home in its lineage.

What grounds Toybox most, however, is its sense of rhythm. At certain hours, like the late afternoon when the balcão turns golden, the house seems to respond to the shifting light in ways that feel almost intentional. Toybox ultimately stands as an example of how heritage homes can be restored without losing their cultural grain. It shows that with the right balance of sensitivity and functionality, a house can hold its history while welcoming new life — allowing past and present to sit comfortably at the same table, without one overwhelming the other.

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