Long before red carpets and film sets, Yami Gautam’s happiest memories were made in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, at her nani’s house near Shimla, where she spent every summer as a child.And earlier, when a 100-year-old heritage home on a 25-acre plot near Mandi came up for sale in 2016, it felt less like a real estate opportunity and more like fate. According to a media report, even though the owners were going to sell the property to someone else, it was sold to her over other buyers, who trusted her to look after their family’s home for generations.For Yami, the purchase was never about investment value. It was just like reclaiming a piece of her childhood as even though she grew up in Chandigarh, she visited her Nani’s home in Shimla every summer.She often posts videos of this Himachal home-cum-farmland, designed in typical Himachali architecture, where she relaxes and rejuvenates by connecting with nature and enjoying natural detox drinks like ‘haldi ka paani’.Even though her life has mostly involved metro cities and commercialised living, this place is more of an emotional connection for her than a property investment, so she chose to keep the interiors of this 100-year-old home intact.Here are a few traditional features she refused to change
A traditional Himachali layout built around a courtyard
The house follows a classic Himachali design, with rooms arranged around an open central courtyard, as seen in some of her photos on her social media posts, a layout which is a common feature of heritage homes in the region. It is a traditional Himachali structure, lined with one or two rooms holding secret staircases that lead down into the basement, she explained to a media outlet.ID@undefined Caption not available.
The sloping tin roof she refused to change
Of everything in the house, she kept the sloping tin roof. While overseeing renovations, she made it clear the roof would stay exactly as it was, saying she wanted to hear the ‘rain patter’ against it during monsoon season. The puja room, too, was left untouched, both features were preserved deliberately as emotional anchors to the home’s original character.ID@undefined Caption not available.
An organic kitchen garden that keeps the home self-sufficient
Beyond the architecture, the main attraction of the house is the farm area, where she has set up a greenhouse and organic garden at her hillside home, practices organic farming, and shares glimpses of homegrown produce like lemons and plums on social media whenever she visits.
Deep-set windows from Himachali-style setup
Like most heritage homes in the region, Yami’s house is built with small, deep-set windows that are a hallmark of traditional Himachali architecture designed to withstand harsh mountain winters. Recessed into thick stone-and-wood walls, these windows let in soft, filtered light while also helping to keep the biting cold and snow outside.