Desai's House 公寓设计丨印度丨Robust studio

Architect：Robust studio

Location：Lilleria Apartments Road, Vemali, Vadodara, Gujarat, India; | ;

Project Year：2021

Category：Apartments

Mrugini Pandya of Robust Studio had her work cut out in this apartment measuring 1,050 sq foot carpet area. “Since both space as well as budget were restricted, we decided that the wall cladding and furniture could function as art,” she says. Choosing curves and arches in her design to make a statement, the soft lines appear as a leitmotif throughout the spaces.

“A simple, underplayed aesthetic was required, but the home had to be suitable for hosting parties, with some added element to uplift the ambience,” says Pandya.

The entrance itself announces the design intent. The main door is set off-center within a large circular panel on the wall, created from strips of wood in different widths. Meticulously exploring a collage of vertical, diagonal and horizontal lines, the fluted wood offers a 3D surface. The periphery of the panel is backlit with profile lighting, the composition relying on the assemblage of details within the same material and color palette for visual impact. The complexity of the entire treatment provides a visual impact and creates a sense of arrival within the constraints of apartment living. The safety grill too contributes to the aesthetic, in sync with the geometric composition in its entirety. Two doors have been provided – one opening outward and the other inward – to address concerns regarding security.

Since the spaces were not very large, Pandya decided to do away with a few walls. “I brought down the wall of the store room and merged it with the kitchen,” she says. The living, dining and kitchen areas now have an open plan. Two bathrooms were converted into one large one, attached to the master bedroom.

Veneer and Burma teak strips cover several surfaces, while a glossy vitrified tile flows across the floor. “Reflecting light, it creates the illusion of larger spaces,” says Pandya. Wood, metal and limited colors define the look of the apartment.  

Used extensively on the walls and ceiling, most of the lighting is not visible until it is switched on. Largely concealed and used as backlighting, it delineates outlines in a subtle glow. As requested, a party ambience is on demand…at the flip of a switch. Playing a stellar role as a design element, the lighting is the backbone of the blueprint. The illumination is understated and perfectly acceptable for daily use as well.

A bold chevron pattern on the floor in gray and white is echoed by the ceiling treatment, accentuated by profile lighting. The wall alongside is partially covered with wooden strips with a simple curve and lighting incorporated in its design. A shoe rack has a CNC shutter, disguising its humble function.

Simple furniture furthers the minimal aesthetic. Stripped bare and sparsely furnished, the language is scrupulous in its restraint. On the wall behind the sofa, a set of six circular installations on the wall in concave wood and metal are used to conceal lighting, in addition to functioning as a sculpture. From the sofa, the foyer and the wall holding the TV appear to merge because of the continuity in the surface cladding. This thoughtful device creates the illusion of a larger space. The dining table is topped with a slab of glossy nano white.

There was no natural light in the storage area which has been incorporated in the kitchen. A green dado behind the hob covers a column. “Since we couldn’t hide the column, we decided to accent it with tiles in a bamboo finish,” says Pandya. The breakfast table functions as a bar during parties. Its lower level merged it with the kitchen. The living, dining and kitchen areas now have an open plan.

The most eye-catching element is a wardrobe with its unique shape & large sized handles with burma teak wood strips. Storage is concealed behind the dressing mirror, while a mock pergola on a section of the ceiling echoes the wood tones at eye level. The geometric shapes of the TV unit appear as art itself.

For a compact room with lots of functions, our layout creates a cozy ambience with wooden ceiling & unique lighting. We ditched cliches of pink for a young teenage girl & chose metal cnc shutters, black glass for wardrobe & veneer as a prime palette. The stepped sloping ceiling is of plywood & veneer, with the signature profile lighting enhancing it in a zigzag pattern. “The dressing unit is also custom-made with utmost detail” says Pandya.

“We’ve taken care of the detailing,” says Pandya. “All doors appear to be frameless because we’ve used wire mesh covered with POP, which is then painted to achieve this look. CNC has been used extensively, subtle details such as arches being cut on the MDF of doors, including patterns on shutters.”

Pandya has made a conscious decision to move away from the blanket use of straight lines - tough, inflexible, created by man, with their accompanying right angles. But moving away from the tried-and-tested calm of right angles is traversing slippery slopes indeed. Pandya negotiates these without vacuously reducing her concept to a mere gimmick. 

Flooring:                                    Vitrified tiles

Doors:                                         Plywood, Veneer

Windows:                                  UPVC sections

Roofing:                                     Gypsum sheet, Wood, Veneer

Interior lighting:                    Philips

Paint:                                           Asian paints

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