We were approached by the client with two compact three bedroom apartments to be combined into a single four bedroom home for a family of five. Measuring 990 sft each in carpet area in total, the apartments were attached with a large podium level terrace of 2100 sft.

The client's brief was to have a modern and open home with top priority given to functionality and customisation as per the lifestyle of individual family members. Another key requirement was to have open and semi open spaces nestled in a natural setting for their family time. During our interactions with the family we noticed their deep appreciation for their native home town in Rajasthan especially its architecture, art, craft and its overall royal heritage.

While conceptualising our vision for the space our endeavour was to create a narrative of balance between modern forms, natural materials and traditional arts and crafts.  The idea was to create a blend of the old with new such that every space evoked a sense of nostalgia but without losing the setting of the future.  

Primarily facing north and being on the lowermost level of a 10 storeyed building, the apartment is in the shade zone of the building throughout most of the day. This affects not only the quality of natural light in the interior spaces but also makes the volumes feel smaller. Our focus was on creating a free flowing open plan layout with a seamless connection to the landscape terrace. This helped not only with bringing in natural light into the deeper set spaces but also increased the visual expanse of the home. The large terrace was divided in functional zones using appropriately placed planters but without compromising on the fluid connectivity between them. We chose minimal and functional interiors grounded into the ‘less is more’ concept and used subtle yet sophisticated patterns to bring in the influences of a royal Rajasthan.