After falling in love with the landscape on her travels, interior designer Chlöe Elkerton built her dream home in the Sri Lankan countryside
It was 12 years ago when interior designer Chlöe Elkerton first took her mother on a trip to Sri Lanka. What started as a casual family holiday inadvertently set a new future in motion for the designer, turning the country into her new preferred travel destination and even a second home. “I would go there as often as I could. Any long weekend, I’d be like, I’m going to Sri Lanka,” she recalls.
Elkerton and her mother found themselves returning to one particular beachside property, owned by an Italian architect they had grown close to over the years. Once the designer revealed that she was keen to put down permanent roots and build her dream home in Sri Lanka, this same architect brought another pristine plot of land to her attention, prompting her to realise this vision.
Read more: Home tour: A contemporary holiday home in a Penang heritage shophouse
“The location was perfect. The moment I set foot on the land at dusk, I knew it felt right. It was bare but fertile land with the remains of a small house, elevated and surrounded by jungle with the most amazing trees and wildlife,” she tells us. “As a designer, it’s a dream to be able to design and build your own house, and I had this amazing opportunity to do just that.”
The property has now been transformed into Elkerton’s cherished second home, designed under her firm E&A Interiors. Fully staffed and able to comfortably accommodate up to eight guests, it also serves as a magnificent holiday house for other families when she is away.
The 0.8ha plot near Galle Fort turned out to be rather special, featuring a natural elevation that allowed for a sunken sitting room and sweeping grounds towards the pool.