Located within a six-acre land that overlooks a mesmerising scenary of the Wanduramba hills, the TPV Estate in Galle is a private villa where the illusion of “floating ice cubes” and the “number three” plays an important role in the design.

Due to the incline of the land, once at the top, the scenery and first two structures come into view, creating an almost dramatic effect. The most compelling sight is that of the open dining area, which looks like a cubic formation floating off the hill. The bigger cube structure on the left hosts the main living quarters of the owners, the lounge, terrace overlooking the mountainside, four luxury rooms and a state- of-the-art kitchen. On the highest point of the land is located the third cube, which includes a private bar, bathroom, sauna and open lounge; all overlooking the plunge pool.

While the unique topography of the land is part of its distinctive character and was a great source of inspiration for the design of the villa, it proved to be a challenge during construction, which was overcome through collaboration with the contractor.

The simplicity of the architecture accentuates the beauty of the property. The structures, from the walls to the flooring, have a grey cement finish, to complement the environment as well as to ensure easy maintenance of the property. The palette is subtle with the main colours being grey, black, copper and purple. Unique interior installations including objet d’art, which have a contemporary artistic feel and distinctive aura, feature throughout the spaces of the private villa. While furniture has also been imported, the wooden cupboards in the kitchen and other rooms were designed in-house by Thomas Elbaum, Patrick Österman and Vadim Stepanoff and produced by carpenters in Moratuwa.