After Sri Lanka became independent in 1948, De Silva returned and set up a studio in her family home in Kandy, becoming one of only two women in the world at the time to establish an architectural practice in her own name. From there she began designing and building everything from cottages to villas to entire apartment blocks. Her trademark was a modernist architecture in harmony with the landscape and traditional craftsmanship. The Pieris House, her first building in Colombo, bore those unmistakable marks: striped, lacquered balusters in maroon and gold leaf print, echoing traditional Kandyan craftwork; doors inset with woven palm panels bearing a simple tile pattern in similar colours. Although born into a wealthy family and an undeniable member of the global elite, she was concerned with more than just building houses for her friends. Her endeavour to fuse artisanal traditions with her modernist buildings ensured that impoverished craftspeople could earn a living from their work...[+]