Smart Solutions

By Marina Correa

Photography: Courtesy the architect

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Diligent use of varied materials and textures opens up a tight volume of 2,400 sq ft in a posh locality of Kolkata…

Designed for a joint family, the challenge was to utilize every inch of the apartment to its maximum in order to accommodate the needs of the entire family. “It was also challenging to design according to strict Vaastu restrictions and guidelines,” says principal architect, Rupande Shah of Rupande Shah & Associates.

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The creation of different textures and contrasts add depth, while a subtle colour palette consisting of earthy crèmes’, beiges and browns allow the spaces to appear large. For instance, the main door in solid Burma teak has been juxtaposed against a staggering pattern of strips of rough slate; mirrors have been used to double the space and reflect light into a dining area, which does not have any direct ventilation, space has been enhanced with window seats and the like…  

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Without use of embellishments, design doubles up as attractive décor features. The main living room wall clad in Noche Traventino comes across as a work of art with its rough, non-uniform characteristics; jaali work encased in a back-lit wooden panel frames an entire window in one of the rooms forming conventional decorative element well-juxtaposed with the up-to-minute vocabulary of the rest of the room. In the same vein, laser-cut patterns on doors and leather-camouflaged wardrobe sliders add intrigue to conventional units.

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Since some of the rooms and bathrooms have been designed in coordinated colour palettes, visual continuity translates into a seamless look; making the space appear larger than it really is.

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Yet, each room has its distinct personality; like the little girls’ room infused with feminity via delicate lattice work as chair backs, floral steel inlays and pink and purple soft furnishings.

 

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Finally, considering the tight area and a large family, generous built-in storage has been accommodated under beds, extended window parapets and plenty of cabinets and niches – making it a home that not only accommodates its members’ requirements but also enhances their lifestyle quotient.