As Carmona houses are modernised room by room, the bedroom is often the first to change, and the headboard is where old and new meet. If the bed is an old carved one, keep it: a padded panel can be fitted within the frame without altering the wood. If the bed is new, think about the months the room will be closed. Thick padding pushed against a wall that takes sea damp turns musty, so hang the headboard a little off the wall, seal the board behind it front and back, and cover it in leatherette or a mildew-resistant synthetic. Velvet and cotton are for houses that are aired daily, which these often are not.
- Old carved beds in family houses: an upholstered insert within the existing frame, covered in a synthetic fabric that resists mildew.
- Newly modernised bedrooms: a wall-hung panelled headboard with an air gap behind and a sealed backing board, in a wipeable cover.
- Villa bedrooms near the shore: a wide leatherette headboard with reading lights, the wiring agreed with the electrician beforehand.
Carmona is a small village between Varca and Cavelossim, set a little back from the beach. It is quieter than its neighbours, with old family houses along shaded lanes, a village church, and a few holiday complexes and villas near the shore.
Many Carmona homes belong to families who work abroad or at sea and return for part of the year. The houses are traditional, with verandas and wooden windows, and are often being modernised room by room.
Carmona is close enough to the sea for salt to matter, and the low ground between village and beach is wet in the monsoon. Houses that stand closed for months need airing and fabrics that resist mildew.
Sea-facing homes
Fix a headboard a little off a sea-facing wall so air can move behind it, and choose a synthetic or leatherette cover that does not hold damp. Wooden backing boards should be sealed on both sides.
Old Goan houses
Old carved beds are worth keeping. An upholstered panel can be made to sit within the existing frame, or the cane and padding renewed, without altering the woodwork.