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Interior

2021

Photographer : Photographix | Sebastian + Aaditya

Luxury fast-tracked. Two words that capture the essence of this project. The site was a builder-provided 3BHK apartment in Surat, and the family of four who would claim this as their home were short on time. Yet, they required a home that would convey a sense of the upscale. While the spatial programme was tweaked by replacing one bedroom with a multipurpose (family cum play cum guest) room, the aesthetic articulation was based on a curvilinear syntax to achieve a certain smoothness, bolstered by small interventions such as handle-less furniture and the use of transparent and reflective expanses. The latter also helped to create an illusory sense of space in the 1100-sq-ft, low-ceiling apartment. The ‘curved’ idea was applied to the smallest of elements — the junctions of walls and ceilings — to the largest of expanses, such as partitions. Time was saved by wisely deciding on retaining the builder-provided flooring and turning the attention towards creating a characterful mix of loose designer furniture rather than spending energy on civil-work and custom-made wood-work.

The layout is simple enough: the living room and the dining area constitute the public zone, bordered by a largish, deck-like balcony which acts like the extension of these two functional pockets. Across this section lies the kitchen, which is shielded from the entrance by a wall that stops just short of the ceiling. This strategy ensures that the ceiling expanse stays unfragmented, maintaining a visual sense of one-ness and spaciousness.

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Architects	:	Studio Lagom
Area	:	1100 sq. ft.
Year	:	2021
Website	:	https://www.instagram.com/studio_lagom/

Living room of Celebration by Studio Lagom

Dining and Kitchen of Celebration by Studio Lagom

The highlight of the living room is a customised wall installation behind the sofa featuring festivals and days of national significance, giving the project its name — Celebration. The artwork is composed of small postcards, mounted magnetically on small turntable-like wooden discs on a grey lime-plaster wall. The vivid postcards, highlighted against the sombre expanse, create a striking feature element which can be viewed from a large part of the house, even the bedrooms which are positioned towards the interior of the apartment.

The dining section features an eclectic ensemble, comprising chairs and an upholstered bench as seating. Behind this lies the pooja area, a small arched niche holding the deity on a wooden tower with a tiered crown. On the wall behind, a beautiful design with auspicious symbols heightens the air of spirituality.

The kitchen is smart, utilitarian and custom-made, featuring reflective-finish appliances and tinted-mirror shutters for overhead units as threads that would like this pocket to the larger picture.

Dining of Celebration by Studio Lagom

Pooja area of Celebration by Studio Lagom

Passage of Celebration by Studio Lagom

The passage that leads to the interiors sees the largest and the most emphatic application of the ‘curvilinear’ strategy. The walls of the family room (that lies at the mouth of the passage) were replaced by smoothly-contoured, curved glass. This allows the young lady of the house to keep on an eye on her children while they use the family room. Privacy is ensured by floor-to-ceiling curtains. The study table/seater in this room is a telling example of the architect’s attention to detail and one more instance of extracting the maximum out of the given space. In a niche created within a bank of storage lies a plump and wide one-seater, resting against a background of a vibrant blue upholstered wall-panel. Pull it out, drop down one section of the panel (it actually comprises two pieces, one fixed and one movable), rest it on brass pattis that have been fixed on the side — and you have a study table!

Passage of Celebration by Studio Lagom

Guest Bedroom of Celebration by Studio Lagom

The section of passage wall across the family room is lined in tinted mirror punctuated by curved grooves. This, actually, is a bank of storage and the door to the powder toilet, whose shutters are curved, creating the appearance of a fitted-together jigsaw puzzle. The washbasin stand cum storage (that is positioned towards the living room), is curved too. Along with the bent glass-wall of the family room, it forms a relatively wide funnel-like mouth for the passage, making it seem wider. Located further along the passage, the two master bedrooms are little pockets of serenity. While one features a luscious red wall and looks inwards, the other draws attention to a tiny greened space by the window.

This project was a successful attempt at creating a home that has its own character, within a tight timeline and the given framework of a ready apartment.