In houses built for the river view, the bed is turned to face the Mandovi, which puts the headboard on the inner wall of the room. That is fortunate, because inner walls are the driest in a Britona house and take a wide upholstered headboard without trouble. Light off the water reaches that wall for much of the day, so prefer cloth that resists fading. The awkward case is the older home where the bed backs onto an outside wall. Humidity gathers there, and deep padding held tight to it turns musty; hang the headboard on battens with an air space behind, and pick a cover that wipes. New villas can plan lights and sockets into a full-wall panel.
- River-facing master bedrooms in new villas: a full-wall panelled headboard on the inner wall, with reading lights and sockets planned in.
- Old family homes where the bed meets an outside wall: a wall-hung headboard on battens, ventilated behind, in a wipeable cover.
- Guest bedrooms on the humid ground floor: a wipe-clean leatherette cover over a wooden backing that has been sealed front and back.
Penha de Franca is the village of Britona and its neighbourhood on the north bank of the Mandovi, opposite Panjim. Its white church stands right on the water where the Mapusa river joins the Mandovi, and the riverside road has old houses and newer homes with river views.
Riverside houses and villas look across the water to Panjim and Chorão. Many are old family homes; others are new builds placed for the view. Windows facing the river are large.
The river brings humidity, glare off the water and a steady breeze. Mosquitoes are a problem at dusk near the mangroves. Salt is slight.
Riverside and backwater homes
In a damp room, avoid thick padding pressed hard against an outside wall. A wall-hung headboard with a gap behind it, in a cover that can be wiped, stays fresh.
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.