A house with a century of stories.
Now it's time to add yours.
This house has a history with healing. The man who built it — so the stories go — knew every plant in the garden by name: their seasons, their uses, their temperaments. We can't verify the details. But we can say that a hundred years of careful living leaves its mark on a place, and this garden has the kind of calm that feels earned rather than designed.
This is a Walauwa — an aristocratic heritage house built in the traditional Sri Lankan manner. The house was built around a hundred years ago. For most of that time, it was a family home. Then three friends found it.
In 2016, life felt simpler and full of possibility. Dinesh, Damith, and Bjoern — three people who between them had worked in advertising, airlines, and international cultural diplomacy — started what they called Foozoo. A guesthouse in Colombo, then another, then more. The details changed. The spirit never did.
Everybody's welcome. That was the rule from day one, before intersectionality was a word anybody used. Before inclusive hospitality was a trend. Just — everybody's welcome.
They found this house. Bought it. Restored it — protecting everything that made it what it is, and adding only what was necessary. Damith brought the garden back to life, plant by plant. Dinesh shaped the interiors and the way the house talks to the world. Bjoern made much of it possible without ever asking for the credit.
Dinesh
Former advertising professional. Now serial entrepreneur. Handles the design, the voice, the strategy — and the story of everything Foozoo does.
Damith
Former airlines professional. Can make friends with anyone and grow anything. The garden at Foozoo Mantra is his. So is the warmth you feel when you arrive.
Bjoern
Former head of the Goethe Institute in Colombo. A friend who believed in what Foozoo could be, and made it possible.