Project Data

Type: Apartment

Location: Secunderabad, India

Area: 1200 sft

Year: November, 2019

Photographs: Client

 

Modern homes have a plethora of roles to play, they are to be a sparkler of joy, a haven of peace, a matter of inspiration, a harbinger of creativity, an expression of individual persona and mostly just a place to be. With such lofty ideals in tow, homes take a lot of concern and care, give a lot in return and are absolutely delightful spaces to design especially when crafted for newly weds. On the drawing board this home is carved out of an existing house, cleverly adding in more space to make a beautiful and confortable house. As a renovation project, walls were moved out to take in the existing verandah into the drawing room, walls were dismantled to elaborate a brief pantry into a fully functional kitchen with a utility, windows were added, beams concealed and flooring modified as and how the space took form.

 

Designed to be eclectic with an equal measure of function, the VV home takes in sturdy functional planning with quirks of the couple. The entrance foyer of the family home sets the tone of the eclectic quotient, it is designed with a nook assembled with wood and metal. A wooden Buddha statue is placed delicately on a wooden twisted wood bark on a metal frame. The apartment opens up to a comfortable drawing room done up in tones of wood, metal, grey leather with cushions and quirks. A tree of life wall piece lends a sense of dynamism to the space. The flooring in wood is topped with carpet in the drawing area. The dining room accents the wood with a curio mantel piece and an infusion of a Jaali or mesh work pattern much like lace in the Pooja cabinetry. The open kitchen that looks into the dining space takers forth the brown and metal, balancing them both tediously with an accentuation of cream color. It is partitioned away from the utility with a cut-out partition that slides from side to side. A wooden panel is made to run along the wall thickness that also frames the kitchen. The couple captured moments from their recent wedding on a photo wall that is strategically placed between the curio mantel piece and the kitchen. A study zone is carefully tucked away in one corner of the hall way facing a window that lets in ample natural light and includes a book case in metal to showcase the couple most recent reading lists!

 

The kitchen is kept practical with opaque glass used above the countertop and below the upper shelves. The glass provides a writable surface to record recipes, notes, reminders or simply doodle for relief. The kitchen is completely equipped with all appliances and devices as the lady of the house is an avid baker and a food enthusiast. The brown and cream finishes in the kitchen are finished with a stylish light fixture that draws attention and yet melts the space into being a warm, welcoming and comforting zone.

 

The master bedroom is kept simple with color blocking in blue. A bed head board that is neat and linear becomes a foreground to the solid blue wall. The expansive wardrobes are supplemented by a chest of drawers and some seating for the couple. The tone in the bedroom is kept neat and simple with a hint of the couples combined love of travel and a penchant for collecting art and books. A second bedroom for guests that is less used is painted with a cheery yellow and accentuated with bright blue.

The apartment brings in delightful light and ventilation into all the spaces, it also brings in plants, succulents, indoor plants, art and reading material as decor elements into the spaces. It makes for an eclectic mix of architectural decor in the space. The spaces are designed with a fluency for ventilation and light, kept easy to maintain and reflect the couples interests and passions. Houses that reflect the personality of its inhabitants are the best houses, even better are the homes that gently nudge its occupants into better lives, inspire them to live their best life, nurture shared bonhomie and cultivate an essence of love and understanding. As Winston Churchill once famously proclaimed, “we shape our buildings and thereafter they shape us”. This home has been shaped to foster the very ideals that the couple decided to bring into their homes and hence into their lives.