Rooted in strong cultural influences, ‘Project58’ is designed as an immersive experience for one to reflect upon and enjoy the spontaneity of the surrounding environment. The house is set on a corner plot of 8000 Sqft abutting the main road of a modest plotted development in East Bangalore. Planned for a young couple hailing from distant corners of India, it reflects a blend of contexts coming together.
Designed and built over a period of 24 months the house is carefully adapted to the natural terrain, inserting the built form in its current rhythm. The formal entry to the house is from the bystreet for additional privacy. The entrance foyer is composed of a fish pond lined with stone seaters and a free-standing Mandir on one side and an open courtyard towards the other. The massive main door leading to the house is 10 feet tall carved with reclaimed solid teak wood. The door was intricately carved by the local craftsmen of Tamil Nadu, the frame of the door is 1 foot in depth weighed almost 600kgs. With an architrave almost touching the ceiling and brass detailing the main and mandir door adopts a very symbolic expression rooted in traditional customs & stories. Terracotta Jalis for the entry portal frame the views for the Mandir and add an element of pause and reflection.
The client’s appreciation for natural materials and narrative art pieces formed the foundation for the material design palette. Indian Black Kadappa stone flooring runs across all the semi-private spaces, warm hues of teak for all the intricately carved elements with soft colour palettes of the furnishings bridge the styles together.
The living spaces are maximized in volume around the open staircase. A triad of colour greets the double-height living room with a warm morning sun casting shadows from the Terracotta jali. Double-height walls are cladded with alabaster stone. The furniture setting is playful with a tufted sofa from Baxter on one side and a solid teak-carved traditional swing on the other. The swing is hung from a single-height cocooned by a brass vetiver screen from Viya homes. A 7 feet tall Traditional Pichwai Art by artisans from Nathdwara & Kinnal Art sculptures an artistic heritage of Karnataka and a vintage Murano glass Chandelier adds to the layer and allure of the space. The living area flows into a 12-seater dining area overlooking into the lush and tropical central court. A customised bar counter is planned around a special edition wall clock from the Raja Ravi Verma Press. The dining area is warm with patterned wood on the ceiling. A reclaimed wood live edge dining table top adds to the chunkiness. The palettes from the dining continue in the Powder room, and hues of emerald from the JJ Valaya Gulistan collection provide an immediate contrast to the dark texture of the room. Minimalistic Brass basins from Gessi, elevate the overall look and tranquillity.
All the private spaces flow seamlessly into each other and remain uncontained. There are framed views from each space of the central court or from the overflowing greens. Wooden flooring dominates most of the private rooms. Vintage tapestries framed with arched teak wood panels form the headboard against the cane-weaved bed of the client’s mother’s room. Subtle elements of brass add to the depth of the visual detailing of the room.
The master bedroom is entered through a light-filled lounge. The palette of the lounge is muted with stark overflowing greens and deck wood. A four-poster bed with ornately carved brass detailing in the posts add an extra element of style.The bedroom is planned by inserting iconic elements whereas the space is stripped back to its essence by natural stone flooring and flowy drapes. The show stopper of the space is the reclaimed teak wood panels sourced from Havelis in Rajasthan and assembled to add a unique voice to the design assemblage. A sprinkle of colour is added by the green leather for the headboard and Ottoman.
Throughout the course of the project, we worked closely with the clients on detailing and the choice of materials. The interior spaces were developed carefully to have all fixed elements of Indian origin and all movable furniture was sourced from all over the globe. Unique artisan finds can be found throughout the home layered in an interesting manner with all the design elements.
The House has several entertainment zones. A family cum theatre space is planned at the Terrace level. The room undividedly extends to a semi-covered sit-out and to an open-air sunken bar and seating.
Barefoot luxury can be experienced with the Kota flooring extending from the family room to the outdoor areas blurring the line between the inside and outside\ to create a single harmonious space. The seating inside the family room is playful with Planopoly loungers by Himolla. A gaming zone with foosball and boardgame station is completed by Rattan chairs from Thonet. The sunk-in bar is a wooded deck with backlighting detailing for the natural stone counters.
The lower ground level entertainment den is planned with a swimming pool, bar, home theatre and a private spa. The palette is soft and warm against the shimmering blues from the water of the pool which sets the mood for the space. Sunken green courts add an element of visual lightness and bring ample natural light inside. The pool end is enhanced by an enormous tree root sculpture. Weighing almost 900kgs, which adds character and drama.
While taking care of the functional requirements the project brief emphasized on creation of a dialogue between the earth, wind and sun. The design embraces the greens and blurs the line between the exterior and the interior, creating harmonious spaces that communicate with each other at the shift of light. With the help of terracotta jaalis on the skylights, diffused light seeps through spaces akin to it filtering through a dense canopy of trees. The volumes inside hence are expressed with a special tonality by the filtering light
The open layout of the single-flight staircase ensures undisturbed views of the tropical central court as one transition between the spaces. Pause points are added to sit back and appreciate. One such coffee pod between the private areas on the first floor is planned around a 6 feet tall repousse Pichwai wall art in brass and semi-precious stones by Viya Homes.
The home office was planned to be an insert around the existing Neem tree. A serene space dotted with natural light and fine furniture from Armani Case and Christopher Guy. A scene stellar is the art work by Dinesh Magar the Buddha. The shelving unit was customised around it in brass and green leathered panels adding to a sense of cohesion.
The building is designed in several layers by adding an element of porosity on the ground level and stone cladding on the uppermost levels. The central courtyard is planned structurally over a podium slab for the landscape to evoke a feeling of a tropical forest within the house, making the building and greens become one. The transpiration of the plants contributes greatly to the micro-environment of the house. Every element in the house is orchestrated creating a sense of unity and allowing space for quiet moments of solidarity.