A Place To Call Home: In Conversation With Vianaar Founder Varan Nagpal

Goa to us has always been a place where you slow down, reconnect with nature, and live a little more intentionally. At the time, the concept of holiday homes was relatively new in India. Most properties lacked warmth and intimacy. We wanted to create homes that would blend into the landscape; design-centric homes, with exceptional quality; homes that had plenty of open spaces, filled with natural light, surrounded by greenery; homes where you could walk barefoot in the garden, pick fruit off the tree, and feel time slow down.

The concept of a holiday home gave us space to experiment with layouts, materials, and spatial flow. And because Goa is inherently relaxed and inspiring, it became the perfect place to explore this new kind of living.

Goa to us has always been a place where you slow down, reconnect with nature, and live a little more intentionally. At the time, the concept of holiday homes was relatively new in India. Most properties lacked warmth and intimacy. We wanted to create homes that would blend into the landscape; design-centric homes, with exceptional quality; homes that had plenty of open spaces, filled with natural light, surrounded by greenery; homes where you could walk barefoot in the garden, pick fruit off the tree, and feel time slow down.

The concept of a holiday home gave us space to experiment with layouts, materials, and spatial flow. And because Goa is inherently relaxed and inspiring, it became the perfect place to explore this new kind of living. 

It’s evolved to mean something far more elemental and grounded. Our clientele is primarily from fast-paced urban cities, so true luxury lies in being able to slow down and reconnect with nature in its raw form. It’s not just about premium materials or designer furniture but about the simple joys that come with living well. We’ve found that people value having a connection to nature. In many ways, we’ve drawn inspiration from traditional Goan and Portuguese architecture, where open courtyards, angans, and verandahs were central to the home. These elements create a flow between indoors and outdoors. We’re also moving steadily toward more organic design.

Our design philosophy is deeply informed by geography. It responds to the local climate, materials, topography, and way of life. At the core, our homes are rooted in encouraging slow living, with lots of open spaces for indoor-outdoor living.

In Goa, flat coastal land allows for courtyards, open kitchens, and verandahs. It’s largely inspired by old Goan homes, baroque churches, and colonial-era universities. Materials like laterite and terracotta are locally available and climatically appropriate which allows us to bring more raw, grounded texture to homes. Pops of colours in homes, drawn from traditional Goan homes where colour was used expressively

In Kasauli, the terrain is hilly and forested, with a cooler, more temperate climate. Unlike the flat land in Goa, here we work with sloped sites, homes are often split-level, designed to step down naturally with the land. Our architecture here leans into a more vertical layout, with large windows opening out to pine-covered hills. We also use local stone, exposed brick, and wood to create a sense of warmth. Gardens, heated pool, and verandahs continue to be a part of our layouta 

In Ahangama, we’ve designed homes that respond intuitively to the coast, where strong winds, harsh sun, and long monsoons shape daily life. The architecture is tropical modern: single-storey homes with sloping roofs, generous overhangs, and plenty of glass to blur the line between indoors and out. Each space opens up to the light, the breeze, and the landscape, making the homes feel more like intimate bungalows than conventional villas.

Earlier, our primary buyers were from Delhi and Mumbai. Over the years, we have had people from all over the country who’re interested in buying a house in Goa and this is thanks to the improved air connectivity across the country. The modern Vianaar residents are far more diverse than when we first started.

Homegrown luxury to me is something which is inspired by local cultures yet has global standards

Having my sister as co-founder and Creative Head has been a real advantage for Vianaar. Real estate is a complex business, between sourcing land, managing approvals, overseeing construction, and running operations, there are countless moving parts. To have one founder solely focused on design gives us a real edge. It means we’re constantly evolving, experimenting with materials, design, and staying ahead of the curve. The creative language of Vianaar has a strong, consistent voice because of her clarity of vision and it helps us stay ahead of the curve.

While design and construction quality are central to what we do, what truly sets us apart is the experience we offer beyond the home itself. From property management to rental support, we’ve created a 360-degree ecosystem that makes owning a holiday home seamless and stress-free. We see ourselves not just as developers, but as long-term partners. For us, handing over the keys is the beginning of a relationship that lasts for years. 

One of the hardest things to protect as we’ve grown is consistency. When a company is growing fast, across many projects and teams, it’s easy for things to slip. But we’re working hard to ensure every home lives up to our promise. Whether it’s design quality, timelines, or overall delivery.

Design has always been at the core of what we do, and I think our deep understanding and passion for it is a big reason behind Vianaar’s success. As we enter new markets like Sri Lanka, the goal is to take the same values and design ideology we’ve built in Goa and apply them to different contexts. We want Vianaar to grow globally while staying true to what makes it Vianaar.

We want our homeowners to feel surprised, have a sense that we’ve exceeded their expectations and they made the right decision.