Context

This pent house is located in one of Bangalore premium areas. It is right next to a park and is surrounded by a lot of greenery. The morning sun streams into the bedroom and the evening suns gently touches the whole apartment giving the space a variety of natural light. The terrace is open without any building obstructing the green views. The original apartment didn’t have too many openings in terms of windows and doors.


Brief
The young couple living in this space have two toddlers and love natural and earthy colours. Their personalities are very warm, giving, generous, humble and inviting. They truly embody the Indian hospitality and simplicity that books and poems are written on. Like most couples, they wanted their home to be an extension of themselves and not be a model home. Because of their young children, they preferred if the design could result in a low maintenance house without compromising on aesthetic.

Response
Because the couple reminded us of Indian culture so much and because they were young and bubbly, we began to go in a contemporary Indian route in terms of design. Material selected for the living areas was Jaisalmer stone. With a sealer coat, it is extremely easy to clean and hand handle any toddler accidents! The natural light on it would truly liven the space up and literally reflect warmth. The bedrooms would be wood. And the entrance would be an old colonial tile of mixed patterns. All doors and windows would be teak. To maximize the light and enhance the design we had in mind, we proposed opening up as many windows and widening the entire deck door. This completed the shell and gave it a very local and Indian feel. In order to not be too literal in the Indian theme, we brought in contemporary furniture with very bold silhouettes like the dining table and foyer chairs and juxtaposed it with colonial elements like paneled doors and closets with regal patterns. Royal Blue sofas and soft neutral curtains complete the look in the living areas with the sun kissed jaisalmer while the bedrooms are neutral with subtle highlights from blues and rusts complementing the wooden floor. In summary, the result is a timeless rendition of Indian elegance inspired by colonial influence. A classic wood kitchen is visible from the dining area and is separated from it by a mirrored Jali door that also reflects the sunlight in bits and spurts adding drama to the space on occasion. The nostalgic and understated shell houses modern furniture creating a confluence of the olden days meeting current times.