Houzz Tours
Gurgaon Houzz: Here the Walls Have a Story To Tell
Homes by Design peels away layers to reveal the beauty of the original materials
Palimpsest (noun): Something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.
There is a reason why this Gurgaon abode was given the moniker of Palimpsest Home – it exemplifies the meaning to a tee. Tasked with the redesign, Rahoul Bir Singh and Lakshmi Chand Singh, founder partners and principal architects, Homes by Design, realised that the walls had a story that shouldn’t be covered up.
There is a reason why this Gurgaon abode was given the moniker of Palimpsest Home – it exemplifies the meaning to a tee. Tasked with the redesign, Rahoul Bir Singh and Lakshmi Chand Singh, founder partners and principal architects, Homes by Design, realised that the walls had a story that shouldn’t be covered up.
The main door opens into a central corridor that flows into the kitchen, dining and den areas on the right, with the living room and a bedroom on the left. The long passageway culminates in the master bedroom.
“A concrete floor with a brass inlay border unites the entire floor plane, while the varied wall textures are held together by a wash of white paint,” says Singh. The corridor features a wire-mesh false ceiling that partially conceals the apartment’s electrical lines, lending the space a hint of an industrial vibe.
Find an interior designer for your next home project
“A concrete floor with a brass inlay border unites the entire floor plane, while the varied wall textures are held together by a wash of white paint,” says Singh. The corridor features a wire-mesh false ceiling that partially conceals the apartment’s electrical lines, lending the space a hint of an industrial vibe.
Find an interior designer for your next home project
Using a canvas of white and grey, the living room is enriched with pockets of colour and patterns in the furnishings. “On the ceiling, we used a cement wash on the existing POP structure to tie in the look,” says Singh. Adding a vintage appeal are the exposed filament-bulb hanging lights and a metal pendant lamp. In each room, the wiring is concealed within black metal tracks that contribute to the overall design.
Browse through more living room images
Browse through more living room images
The walls feature a varied material palette: cement block, white textured surface, and exposed brickwork. “All of these existed earlier but had been concealed in layers of POP and paint. We chipped away the superficial to reveal the real character of the walls,” she says.
Separate from the living room yet visually connected, the dining area lies across the corridor. The dining set is fashioned from a collection of antiques of varied styles and materials. “The clients have eclectic tastes and they did not want anything mass-market and cookie-cut,” she says. “The furniture was sourced from various stores and some even refurbished after purchase.”
The highlight of this room is the custom-made pendant light. The rawness of the wood and the rusticity of the rope stand out against the white and grey colour scheme.
Dining table and chairs: Sharma Farms, Chattarpur
The highlight of this room is the custom-made pendant light. The rawness of the wood and the rusticity of the rope stand out against the white and grey colour scheme.
Dining table and chairs: Sharma Farms, Chattarpur
Connected to the dining room is the den. “The original layout had boxed-up rooms stacked next to each other. We opened up these spaces so that they flow from one to the next,” Singh says. Both rooms open to a connected balcony that floods these areas with natural light.
The kitchen also features a cement-wash ceiling with white textured walls. The focal point here is the backsplash of square tiles in a range of patterns. “We added cabinetry made from distress-finish metal frames and old glass panel infills, and complemented the look with a countertop in polished cudappah stone,” the architect reveals.
Tiles for backsplash: Somany
Tiles for backsplash: Somany
The architects chose to let the wall texture be the highlight of the master bedroom, keeping the colour palette understated. What builds a layer of interest are details like a spotlight table lamp, vintage toggle switches in dull gold, and antiques such as the free-standing mirror and almirah, which each enhance a corner.
Accentuating the vintage charm of the home are the custom-made wood, glass and aged mirror panelled doors. The adjoining bathroom houses the wardrobes and features rubber wood and black cudappah stone. “We created a long vanity counter and mirror on one wall and used distressed metal frames with glass infills to close off the shower area,” Singh says.
In the second bedroom, the architects again worked with a muted colour scheme. Accents such as the aged mirror doors, exposed filament-bulb hanging lights and black metal tracks uplift the ceiling and wall textures and colours.
The adjoining bathroom features a material palette of dark wood and cement set against textured white walls with a built-in cement sink and vintage toggle switches in dull gold.
Read more:
A Gurgaon Home Inspired by Corbusier and Jeanneret
This Rustic Surat Home Is Drawn From Childhood Memories
Tell us:
What did you like most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
Read more:
A Gurgaon Home Inspired by Corbusier and Jeanneret
This Rustic Surat Home Is Drawn From Childhood Memories
Tell us:
What did you like most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of three – a couple and their teenage daughter
Location: Gurgaon, Haryana
Year built: 2017
Size: 168 square metres (1800 square feet); 2 bedrooms and a den, with attached bathrooms
Interior designer: Rahoul Bir Singh and Lakshmi Chand Singh, founder partners and principal architects, Homes by Design, and team
Photos by Atul Pratap Chauhan