Pune Houzz: A Terrace Becomes an Extension of the Home as a Library

This 12th floor duplex apartment in Pune has a terrace that has been converted into an indoor-outdoor space complete with a library, terrace garden and pantry.

A flight of wooden steps connect the living room below to this rooftop space. The walls that enclosed the top landing of the staircase were broken down and the new wood-ceilinged enclosed verandah built. This new space becomes a seamless extension of the main house downstairs.

The main material used for the flooring and walls is cement plaster, applied by a process known as ghotai (which means ‘constant movement of the hand’), a technique used in traditional Indian homes. The hand imprints seen on the walls give a sense of the tactility that has gone into making its design. Ghotai involves laying on cement in successive coats by hand and constantly smoothening and curing it with water. This natural method gives warmth and an organic feel to this space designed to serve as a retreat for the family.

The room has a raw yet cosy undertone to it, with textured cement walls, teakwood furniture and a floor sofa. A niche was created in the wall for custom shelves to house books, paintings and curios.

“This verandah is no accidental space. It was designed keeping in mind the family’s need for an added special place in their home. An area which revolves around an indoor library, a kitchen and plants in the outdoor area,” says Shah.

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Floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows allow natural light to flood in. The glass window at the far end of the room overlooks the city’s racecourse; the doors on the right open out to the rest of the terrace area, which has the pantry and another seating nook.

“The low-on-clutter, minimal furniture allows for easy movement. The library unit is designed to be understated in its form so as to consciously reduce its visual impact,” Shah says.

Glass: Saint Gobain

A custom-made study table unit is placed next to the door. Hints of colour are added to the room with the colourful chair and the vivid painting set in the wall niche.

The enclosed verandah library opens to the terrace through wood-and-glass panelled doors, “which give a notion of an enclosure that can open up completely, blurring the boundaries of the inside from the outside,” Shah says. He points out how the continuity between spaces is further accentuated by the use of natural materials like cement plaster, teak, granite and brass, which are a common theme of materiality indoors and outdoors.

Outside stands a cement-finished island pantry displaying wooden cabinets and a small stove. “Walking on the gravel produces a sound the triggers the memory of being in the green outdoors. The gravel floor is used in parts across the terrace to heighten this tangibility,” says Shah.

At the other end of the terrace is another comfortable reading nook with a chaise longue and a traditionally designed chair, situated next to large potted plants and a waterfall. This makes for a tranquil setting “to indulge in a piece of literature with the garden partly screening you,” Shah concludes.

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