Two kilometres beyond the last motorable road in the Garhwal Himalayas, a story unfolds that feels plucked from a half-remembered fairytale. Here, hidden deep within oak and pine, a house rises from the earth—its walls swell and bend as though shaped by wind, its roof catches sunlight like a glaze. To the locals, it’s known simply as the ‘mud house’. But on Instagram, it’s a wizard’s retreat, a set from a fantasy film, a portal to somewhere slower, quieter, softer. For Delhi-based architect brothers Ansh and Raghav Kumar, it is none of these and all of these. Built over three years, it’s more than just a home. “It was never just about the house,” says Ansh, co-founder, Tiny Farm Lab. “It was about changing the way we live.”
That change began with discontent. City life—with its synthetic food and soulless architecture—had worn thin. “We realised our built environment was not very creative, almost ugly,” says Raghav. “We wanted to move to the mountains, and the house was a by-product of that shift.” The brothers found their medium in cob—an ancient, humble material made of clay, sand, straw, and water. Mixed by foot, “preferably danced upon,” as Ansh grins, cob is shaped like a sculpture but stands like a fortress. “It’s like sculpting clay,” Ansh explains, “but instead of a pot, you’re shaping a home.”