SAKET AGRAWAL RESIDENCE, KOLKATA.
I would have to go back to the beginning – around 3 years ago. A revind button riling back visuals of winding streets with large slatted windows, crumbling marble stairs that led to a secret art gallery, street food pit stops with fragranced air of Calcutta lemons, and of course the majestic Durgaa mammoth sized installations-electrifying and intimidating.
An immense journey I admit, has shaped me in small ways. All because one day clients decided they’d take me on that ride . An obscure day they visited me and spoke about what they wanted with their own houses gave a subtle hint at breaking away from the traditional over the top look for the upscale client in Calcutta widely travelled and having lived in different cities , our client insisted on subtle luxury throwing at me several clippings of wildlife reserves, London lofts ,etc.
A quiet space to house client’s collection of handpicked art over the years.
Several permutations later, a strong dialogue between 2 simple finished emerged the cavernous solitude of micro concrete and the varied grain of Indian teak. The idea was to have a barefoot relaxed space intersected with the sharp lines of white marble tops, bookshelves, and window screens. Edgy accents like Flos lamps, Italian sink in couches, and quirky statement pieces added to the layers. A clear loft ceiling height clad in plywood thankfully warmed it up.
Three apartment floors were each for the 2 brothers and one could be as self indulgent as it was the ‘party’ pad.
An identical floor plate simply had to gave two different view points in planning yet both following strong principle of central axis. Yet dressing them up with the near identical minimalistic mood board.
It was tempting enough to look at 2 identical spaces so differently. So, we gave one a generous island breakfast bar and for the other, an open master bedroom. It changed the way both spaces behaved. And flipped the seating completely. An open tub squat in center of walk in wardrobe while the other preferred a private bathroom suite.
Two separate conversations not without endless deliberations with distinctive personalities led to a cohesive bungalow like feel attached with several memories of skilled carpenters at work to finally enjoying a rare bottle of red with soft balcony breeze of a Calcutta springtime.
An immense journey I admit, has shaped me in small ways. All because one day clients decided they’d take me on that ride . An obscure day they visited me and spoke about what they wanted with their own houses gave a subtle hint at breaking away from the traditional over the top look for the upscale client in Calcutta widely travelled and having lived in different cities , our client insisted on subtle luxury throwing at me several clippings of wildlife reserves, London lofts ,etc.
A quiet space to house client’s collection of handpicked art over the years.
Several permutations later, a strong dialogue between 2 simple finished emerged the cavernous solitude of micro concrete and the varied grain of Indian teak. The idea was to have a barefoot relaxed space intersected with the sharp lines of white marble tops, bookshelves, and window screens. Edgy accents like Flos lamps, Italian sink in couches, and quirky statement pieces added to the layers. A clear loft ceiling height clad in plywood thankfully warmed it up.
Three apartment floors were each for the 2 brothers and one could be as self indulgent as it was the ‘party’ pad.
An identical floor plate simply had to gave two different view points in planning yet both following strong principle of central axis. Yet dressing them up with the near identical minimalistic mood board.
It was tempting enough to look at 2 identical spaces so differently. So, we gave one a generous island breakfast bar and for the other, an open master bedroom. It changed the way both spaces behaved. And flipped the seating completely. An open tub squat in center of walk in wardrobe while the other preferred a private bathroom suite.
Two separate conversations not without endless deliberations with distinctive personalities led to a cohesive bungalow like feel attached with several memories of skilled carpenters at work to finally enjoying a rare bottle of red with soft balcony breeze of a Calcutta springtime.
Project Year: 2019
