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Actor Imran Khan’s home in Karjat looks different from the typical luxury holiday homes. Set amid trees and hills, the house has large windows that bring in natural light and offer views of the surrounding greenery. The interiors feature open spaces, light-coloured floors and simple finishes, keeping the focus on the landscape outside. The actor designed the home himself after spending a year studying the sun, the landscape and the changing seasons.
In 2024, the actor shared pictures of the property, offering a glimpse into the thought and effort that went into building it.
The photographs show rooms with high, sloping ceilings, exposed wooden beams and large glass doors that open towards the outdoors. In one room, a large window looks out towards the trees, while sliding glass doors in another open onto a wooden deck.
Inside Imran Khan’s Karjat home. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
The bedroom has wide windows on several sides, allowing plenty of daylight into the space. A built-in wooden unit runs along one wall, while a simple bed and a lounge chair complete the room. The interiors have been kept functional, with no unnecessary furniture or decoration.
Imran Khan’s minimalist Karjat home. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
Outside, the house sits on a sloping plot surrounded by trees. The raised structure follows the shape of the land, with a stone base, brick walls and a sloping roof. Open areas around the property allow the house to sit within the landscape.
Imran Khan’s Karjat home is on uneven terrain. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
How Imran Khan designed his Karjat home himself
In his 2024 post, Imran explained that he had designed the house himself despite having no formal training in architecture. The actor taught himself 3D modelling and spent a year studying the property before finalising the design.
“So… one of the things I did over the past few years was to build a house. While I’ve played an architect in a few films, I can’t actually pretend to have any kind of training or expertise… but I do enjoy tinkering and learning stuff!” he wrote.
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Large windows and glass doors connect the rooms to the outdoors. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
The property has uneven terrain, seasonal streams and a cliff nearby. Imran wanted the house to work with these natural features instead of changing the landscape to suit a conventional design.
“The intention was not to build a lavish vacation villa, rather to make something that takes it cues from the landscape. The house isn’t meant to be the view, it’s a shelter from which to admire the view.”
He also explained how closely he studied the property before beginning construction.
“I spent the first year going to the site at various times to watch the sunrise and sunset, the flow of the streams when it rains, and the changing foliage through the seasons.”
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In a conversation with comedians Sapan Varma, Raunaq Rajani and Prashasti Singh in 2024, Imran spoke about teaching himself to use 3D modelling software and creating the design without an architect.
“So, I designed, and have just completed building a house out in Karjat. I work without an architect. I taught myself 3D modelling, I got the software and designed the thing. I spent a year going to the property, after we’d purchased it, to track the movement of the sun. Different times of day, different times of year. I spent one year, 2021, tracking the movement of the sun, to see how the light would be. I worked with a contractor and a structural engineer, but the design and the 3D model I built.”
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Why he chose a simple design for the house
Imran also chose construction methods commonly used in homes in the surrounding villages. Instead of a conventional concrete slab, he worked with a contractor and a structural engineer to use a stone base, single-storey brick walls, steel roof beams and insulated roofing sheets.
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Imran Khan’s Karjat home cost him less than ready-made villas in the area. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
The exposed beams and sloping roof are visible in the construction pictures, while the finished interiors follow the same straightforward approach. Large windows and glass doors connect the rooms to the outdoors, making the surrounding trees and hills an important part of the home.
Imran said the building process took time but was worth the effort. He also noted that building the house himself cost less than buying one of the ready-made villas advertised in the area.
Imran Khan’s Karjat home is built with local methods. (Photo: Instagram/Imran Khan)
Imran Khan’s simple lifestyle
The way Imran designed his Karjat home also shows his wider approach to living. In recent years, the actor has spoken about moving away from an expensive lifestyle and focusing on what he actually needs. Along with building his own house, he refurbished and retrofitted a car himself after getting rid of the expensive vehicles in his garage.
Imran moved out of his Pali Hill bungalow and into an apartment in Bandra around the time of his separation from former wife Avantika Malik.
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In a conversation with Film Companion, he said he moved into an almost empty apartment and gradually added things as he needed them.
“I started by moving into what was basically an empty space. I started bringing things into the space based on my requirements. I had a television because I like to watch movies, and I had a sofa. And then, bit by bit, I started to bring in things only based on what I actually need.”
He also said he did not have live-in staff and preferred to handle everyday chores himself. He kept just three plates at home, using one for each meal.
“I didn’t have any live-in staff; I had a person who came in every alternate day to do the heavy cleaning. But I bought myself one of those Dyson vacuum cleaners, and said, ‘I will clean myself.’ If I have only three plates, one per meal—breakfast, lunch, dinner—there’s only three plates to wash. So how big can the mess get?”
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Imran is currently in a relationship with actor Lekha Washington.
