Floors in Benaulim's old houses are tile and stone, as much a part of the house as the shutters, and nobody should hide them under fitted carpet. A loose rug is the right thing: a dhurrie or Persian-style pattern suits the carved furniture, and an underlay stops it sliding on polished tiles. What the rug is made of depends on where the house stands. Towards the beach, wool and jute take up moisture from the sea air and start to smell, so polypropylene or nylon is the safer fibre, and it can be carried into the sun to air. Wall-to-wall carpet makes sense only in a villa bedroom where the air conditioner runs daily.
- Halls of old family houses: a patterned rug on an underlay, sized to leave the old floor tiles showing at the edges.
- Villa living rooms by the pool: a large synthetic rug that takes damp feet and dries quickly.
- Holiday apartments near the beach: dark, low-pile rugs that hide sand and can be shaken out between stays.
Benaulim is a large village just south of Colva, with a long, quieter beach and a village centre around Maria Hall. It has many old family houses, the hilltop church of St John the Baptist at Monte, and newer villas and holiday apartments along the lanes that lead to the beach.
Benaulim is known for its old houses: deep balcões, carved wooden furniture and windows with oyster-shell or wooden shutters. Many have been restored by their families or by new owners. Beside them are modern villas with pools, which want a different look altogether.
The beach side is salty and breezy. The village centre, a kilometre or two inland, is more sheltered but humid, and old lime-plastered walls there show damp in the monsoon.
Sea-facing homes
Wool and jute hold moisture near the sea and can smell. Synthetic rugs in polypropylene or nylon dry quickly and resist mildew, and can be taken outside to air. Wall-to-wall carpet suits only air-conditioned rooms.
Old Goan houses
Old tiled and stone floors are part of the house, so use rugs, not fitted carpet. A dhurrie or a Persian-style rug suits the furniture, with an underlay so it does not slip on polished tiles.
