Houzz Tours
Pune Houzz: Voguish Meets Village in This Couple’s Kicky Nest
With exposed brick finishes, rangoli-style flooring and trad artworks, this apartment by VDGA is a rad-meets-rural abode
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Year built: 2018
Size: 280 square metres (3000 square feet); 3 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms
Principal architects: Deepak Guggari of VDGA
Photos by Hemant Patil Photography and Fabien Charuau Photography
Set in an upscale neighbourhood with verdant canopies and picturesque vistas, the brief for this apartment was inspired by its surroundings.
“The intent was to create a rustic backdrop without compromising on the comfort and plush appeal. To maximise the views around, we sought to create an uncluttered, open-plan layout. The clients – an investment banker and a CA – wanted a space that reflected their personality and lifestyle; one that would exude calm, control and exuberance in equal spirit, and serve as an apt venue for all their social events. We created a moodboard of rustic finishes and saturated colours, through fabrics, rugs, paintings and artefacts. All the constants were kept subtle while the variables were colour-rich,” says Deepak Guggari, cofounder and principal architect of VDGA. Besides Guggari, the project also included senior architect Rashi Sanson.
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Year built: 2018
Size: 280 square metres (3000 square feet); 3 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms
Principal architects: Deepak Guggari of VDGA
Photos by Hemant Patil Photography and Fabien Charuau Photography
Set in an upscale neighbourhood with verdant canopies and picturesque vistas, the brief for this apartment was inspired by its surroundings.
“The intent was to create a rustic backdrop without compromising on the comfort and plush appeal. To maximise the views around, we sought to create an uncluttered, open-plan layout. The clients – an investment banker and a CA – wanted a space that reflected their personality and lifestyle; one that would exude calm, control and exuberance in equal spirit, and serve as an apt venue for all their social events. We created a moodboard of rustic finishes and saturated colours, through fabrics, rugs, paintings and artefacts. All the constants were kept subtle while the variables were colour-rich,” says Deepak Guggari, cofounder and principal architect of VDGA. Besides Guggari, the project also included senior architect Rashi Sanson.
To the left of the foyer lies the living room, whose aesthetic is inspired equally by modern and traditional elements.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
Find an interior designer on Houzz
A rectangular space, the layout is divided into a formal seating area on the left, and a knock-back nook on the right. In the former, an open display unit foregrounds the cement-oxide-finish wall, channelling glimmers of rusticity in the otherwise à la mode setting. A glossy stone coffee table offsets the muted matte periphery.
Sofas are custom-made; lights: Delta Lights
Look for custom furniture makers on Houzz
Sofas are custom-made; lights: Delta Lights
Look for custom furniture makers on Houzz
On the other side of the room, a red exposed-brick wall serves as a backdrop for the knock-back nook. A mesh-back jhula (swing) provides a perch for repose and reflection, while petite planters dot the corners.
“We wanted the interior to look like it had been nurtured over the years. The client’s collection of artwork and artefacts was combined with novel, new-world finds. The house is filled with traditional Indian artworks like Mata Ni Pachedi, Gond tribal paintings and vintage collectibles from various sources. Canvas reprints of various famous master artists also enhance the spaces and steep the interior in colour. Cane weaves and solid wood furniture, combined with a few modern upholstered pieces, make for a comfortable and rich setting that strikes a balance between the modern and the traditional,” says Guggari.
“We wanted the interior to look like it had been nurtured over the years. The client’s collection of artwork and artefacts was combined with novel, new-world finds. The house is filled with traditional Indian artworks like Mata Ni Pachedi, Gond tribal paintings and vintage collectibles from various sources. Canvas reprints of various famous master artists also enhance the spaces and steep the interior in colour. Cane weaves and solid wood furniture, combined with a few modern upholstered pieces, make for a comfortable and rich setting that strikes a balance between the modern and the traditional,” says Guggari.
The living room connects to a terrace, furnished with a contemporary reimagination of village-style seating. A wooden charpoy, some blankets and chairs conjure a relaxed and unfussy setting. Against the wall is a concealed freestanding bar, characterised by textured glass shutters.
A cobalt wall on the other side plays host to ethnic wood relief carvings. Below it, a raised platform conjures a typical village baithak (seating) with durrie and cushions, not to forget the ubiquitous hookah.
Is your balcony short of space? Here are 10 space-saving seating layouts
Is your balcony short of space? Here are 10 space-saving seating layouts
The dining room is familiar in its appearance, as it continues the design of the living room, with its exposed-brick accent wall and chevron-style flooring.
A wooden dining table and Windsor-inspired chairs serve as the room’s focal point, while a lofty black pendant haloes the area in soft light.
Dining table and chairs are custom-made
Check out these purse-friendly tricks for a fab dining room makeover
Dining table and chairs are custom-made
Check out these purse-friendly tricks for a fab dining room makeover
The kitchen is separated from the dining room by a semi-open, two-way wall cabinet. Here, a backsplash of square white tiles is sandwiched by mint-green cabinetry below and wooden shutters above.
“Neat, clutter-free spaces are a mainstay throughout the home. The subtle interior is echoed by the silence and sounds of the surrounding nature,” says Guggari.
A receding perspective of a sequence of arched doorways connects the common areas to the bedrooms, creating the illusion of a long passage, accompanied by a series of vistas of the cityscape beyond.
The master bedroom is cloaked in hushed tones and diaphanous gossamer drapes.
The wooden nightstands echo the tone and grain of the four poster bed, while grey hues define the shell, in the way of charcoal flooring and exposed cement oxide walls.
Curious about how to style your four-poster bed?
Curious about how to style your four-poster bed?
The master bathroom could pass off for a mini art gallery. Sable-print cement tiles clad the floor, while a teakwood, floating vanity offsets the micro-cement-finished grey walls. The bathtub also sports a micro-cement effect.
“With its colonial artworks, mottled finishes and rich teakwood tones, the space takes us back in time,” avers Sanson.
“With its colonial artworks, mottled finishes and rich teakwood tones, the space takes us back in time,” avers Sanson.
Modelled on a rural-esque setting, the second bedroom is defined by an exposed-brick statement wall, ash-grey flooring and dark wooden furniture. Underpinning the slumber zone is a village-style, chalk-effect rangoli, emblazoned into the floor tiles.
Highly textural and warm, a brick wall stands out in a way that a plain wall cannot. See how
Highly textural and warm, a brick wall stands out in a way that a plain wall cannot. See how
Opposite the bed sits a wooden rib-backed bench, presided over by a muted gallery wall.
A raised wooden armoire matches the wood of the bed and nightstands.
Read more:
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Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
Read more:
Pune Houzz: A Spanish Villa Nestled in the Idyllic Aamby Valley
Lonavala Houzz: This Valley Vacation Home Has Windows for Walls
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
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Paint: Jotun; tiles throughout the house: Bharat Flooring
Looking for inspiration for your foyer? Take a leaf from these 12 Indian homes’ book