Commissioned in 1936, Jaipur House was designed by Charles Blomfield, an associate of Sir Edwin Lutyens. The royal building is built of red and yellow sanstone. The structure bears the hallmarks of the Indo-Saracenic style, artfully blended with classical symmetry and colonial restraint. Its understated elegance and fine proportions speak of dignity and refinement. The layout of the main structure is butterfly-shaped, embracing an expansive central court crowned with a low-profile dome. The grand portico at the fore, with its stately columns and broad steps, offers a ceremonial approach, worthy of a maharaja’s arrival. The built-up area spans approximately 25,000 square feet, with generously scaled rooms marked by high ceilings, polished stone floors, and vast arched windows that flood the interiors with natural light. The dome lends the building a noble silhouette against Delhi’s ever-changing sky.
Within the grounds of Jaipur House, subtle landscaping choices were made to suit both function and aesthetics. Manicured lawns, shaded colonnades and stone-paved courtyards weave together a sense of privacy and ceremonial grandeur. Scattered across the garden are modest pavilions—some originally serving as guardhouses or servant quarters, others as quiet retreats for guests and dignitaries. One of the house’s more understated delights is its rear garden—framed by flowering trees and low hedges. The layout follows the colonial garden style hinting a keen sensitivity to proportion and geometry. This garden can be reached through the ballroom, panelled in dark wood.
The building, in its new avatar of an art museum, remains true to its origins—a place of splendour, intellect, and curated grace.