Residential project

Zebra Blind Inside a Mandir Unit, Canacona

Canacona, South Goa

A home mandir in Canacona: a white unit with cut-out jali panels either side, an arch across the top carrying शुभ and लाभ, a diya and kalash motifs, and drawers and cupboards below. Inside the arch, behind the shelves where the idols stand, we fitted a zebra blind in charcoal with pale sheer bands, dropped to sit on the shelf line.

Property type: Traditional Goan Village House
Location: Canacona, South Goa
Work done: Blinds

A white carved mandir unit with a charcoal zebra blind behind the arch, idols and two brass elephants on the shelves

The details

The Decisions That Mattered

The blind closes off the opening at the back of the unit and gives the deities a backdrop. With the bands aligned it reads as a set of dark horizontal stripes behind the white fretwork; opened, it lets light through the sheer bands. Two photographs: one with the blind down and the shelves empty, one with the idols and brass elephants in place.

A finished backdrop to the mandir that can be opened for light and closed for the evening aarti, with nothing on show but the fabric and the carving.

The same mandir unit with the zebra blind fully lowered and the shelves empty

01Fitted inside the recessThe blind is mounted within the opening, behind the carved frame, so the arch and the jali panels stay completely clear and the mechanism is out of sight.
02Dark bands against white fretworkCharcoal was chosen over a pale fabric so the white cut-outs read sharply against it and the figures on the shelf stand out rather than disappear.
03Bands aligned to the shelfThe drop was set so a solid band meets the shelf line, giving a clean base to the backdrop instead of a half-stripe.
04Chain control to the sideThe chain hangs down one side of the recess where a hand reaches it easily, but it sits behind the jali so it does not show from the front.