It’s easy to mistake Dr Y.K. Swapna for an artist.

For her home at Nishath Bagh, Begumpet, makes you believe just that, even as the gynaecologist clears the air about her profession.

Decked with tribal paintings, antique knick-knacks and artifacts picked up during her official trips around the world, her three-storey residence is nothing short of a collector’s haven.

Interestingly, there is no corner in the house – inhabited by her doctor parents, her doctor husband and their two children — that is free of accessories; not even the flight of spiral staircase and the small indoor garden of shrubs.

Built in an eco-friendly way and partly topped by skylights, the house lets in a lot of sunlight during the day. While the fountain next to the staircase lets out a jet of moisture, the shaft running to the top lifts up the cooler air and circulates it. There is also a centralised cooler duct on the top floor housing the guest room, study and kitchen.

The top floor also has over 30 idols of Lord Ganesha in different forms. Dr Swapna, who runs the Swapna Nursing Home nearby along with her mother Dr Y. Savitha Devi, has a fetish for Buddha as well. “I have acquired these artifacts over the years; from street stalls and amateur artists. Many have been passed down by my grandmother, who was a house-proud woman herself,” she says.

Though the walls are largely white, colours have been added through an array of accessories and upholstery. Adding a contemporary touch to the home are tulip downlights in the drawing room, lotus-fretwork on cupboard handles and textured walls and futons in the media room where the family gets together.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tablokd> DC Estate / by Barkha Kumari / DC, Hyderabad / May 12th, 2012