For Yami Gautam, her home in Himachal Pradesh represents much more than a getaway from Mumbai’s fast-paced lifestyle. The actor has preserved the character of a roughly century-old heritage property near Mandi, retaining several traditional elements instead of transforming it into a conventional modern holiday home.
Yami’s connection with Himachal Pradesh goes back to her childhood. Although she grew up in Chandigarh, she spent her summer holidays at her maternal grandmother’s home near Shimla. That early association with the mountains has remained important to her.
According to reports, Yami acquired the approximately 100-year-old property in 2016. Spread across around 25 acres, the property combines a traditional Himachali house with farmland and natural surroundings.
Rather than treating the property simply as a real-estate investment, Yami has described her connection with the home in emotional terms. Her approach to renovation has therefore focused on retaining its original character.
Here are some of the traditional features associated with the property.
A Traditional Himachali Home Built Around a Courtyard
One of the defining features of the house is its traditional layout.
The property follows a Himachali-style design in which rooms are arranged around an open central courtyard. This type of planning is associated with traditional homes in the Himalayan region, where the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces plays an important role.
Yami has previously spoken about the unusual layout of the house, including rooms connected by stairways leading towards lower sections of the property.
Rather than completely restructuring the interiors, the actor chose to retain elements that reflected the home’s original architecture.
The courtyard also adds to the property’s connection with its natural surroundings, allowing the house to function as both a living space and a vantage point into the landscape around it.
The Sloping Tin Roof Was Kept Intact
The sloping tin roof is among the features Yami reportedly insisted on preserving during the renovation.
Instead of replacing it with a more contemporary roofing system, she chose to keep the traditional roof. The reason was not simply architectural.
Yami has spoken about wanting to retain the sound of rain falling on the tin roof during the monsoon. That sensory connection is part of what makes the old house meaningful to her.
The decision illustrates her broader approach to the property: modernise where necessary while retaining details that carry memories of the original home.
The Puja Room Remains Untouched
The puja room is another part of the heritage property that Yami chose not to alter.
While many renovations focus on replacing old rooms and fittings with contemporary interiors, leaving this space intact helped preserve a connection with the home’s earlier life.
Together, the traditional roof and puja room function as particularly personal elements within the renovated property.
A Greenhouse and Organic Kitchen Garden
The property extends beyond the main house into farmland and garden areas.
Yami has shared glimpses of an organic kitchen garden and greenhouse at the Himachal property, where homegrown produce forms part of the experience.
Images and videos shared from her visits have included fruits such as lemons and plums, highlighting the property’s agricultural side.
The garden also fits naturally into the slower lifestyle Yami associates with the mountains, away from the pace of her professional life in cities.
Deep-Set Windows Reflect the Mountain Setting
Another characteristic associated with the house is its deep-set windows.
Traditional Himachali homes often use substantial walls and carefully positioned openings to respond to the region’s colder climate. Deeply recessed windows can help moderate the amount of direct exposure while allowing natural light into the interiors.
At Yami’s property, these windows contribute to the visual character of the old house, particularly when combined with the stone-and-wood construction associated with traditional Himalayan architecture.
Rather than replacing these details with large contemporary glass openings, the home retains the visual language of a mountain heritage property.
A Home Built Around Memory Rather Than Modernity
Yami Gautam’s Himachal property stands apart from the kind of celebrity holiday homes often showcased for their luxury interiors.
Its appeal lies more in what has been preserved than what has been added.
The courtyard-style layout, sloping tin roof, old puja room, traditional windows, farmland and kitchen garden all contribute to a sense of continuity. The property allows Yami to reconnect with the landscape and the kind of environment she experienced during childhood visits to Himachal Pradesh.
Her decision to preserve the old home’s defining features also reflects a broader idea in heritage restoration: not every old element needs to be replaced simply because newer materials or designs are available.
For Yami, the sound of rain on the tin roof, the old prayer room and the traditional structure appear to be part of what gives the house its identity.
That may be precisely why her Himachal home feels less like a celebrity retreat and more like a preserved piece of personal history.
