“A spaciously planned out home with functional green pockets” is what the client came to us initially. We followed this throughout the home’s design, bringing the outdoors into the indoors with balconies, hardscape, and softscape. Our designers matched the indoor textures to complement these green pockets. The modern elements in the exterior subtly exude minimalism and a contemporary aesthetic that blends with the site’s neighbourhood.
Project Name: An Ode to Openness in this Modern Home that Evokes Natural Textures
Studio Name: Design Thoughts Architects
So, creating a cohesive G+1 unit harmonises living spaces and considers family members’ privacy, and we proceeded with this idea for the client.
Breaking down challenges
The only challenge we enjoyed solving was incorporating green spaces into the home plan. We located lovely outdoor decks on the eastern side of the home that open from the living and dining spaces. Per the client’s wish, we gave an inaugural entrance with lush landscape elements in the north.
To make these landscape spaces even more enthralling, we introduced elements like criss-cross jalli and metal pergola to create interesting shadow patterns.
Details seen from afar
A critical thing about minimalism is the little details that might go unnoticed as seen from far away. But when you look closely at it, they make all the difference to the design. In this house, the nuances in the interior-exterior spaces elevate these areas.
Entrance
In the entrance, a lush green landscape makes its way into this north-facing home, while a metal gate on the north-east leads to the landscaped area adjacent to the living space. This is designed exclusively for pedestrian entry in grass as the car parking is paved and zoned adjacently. The colour and texture juxtaposition here gives an elaborate look to the entryway.
Metal detailing
The highlight of metal frames, grills and openings add a touch of modernity to this minimal home. Metal detailing satisfies the safety factor and seamlessly merges with the colour palette of the exterior. Beam metal framing also tones down the structural elements exposed in the facade. Textures like wooden false ceilings, stone-clad columns, and entrances keep the metal details in the spotlight.
Wooden textures
We walk through a copious amount of wood in the interiors that sends a bold and edgy setting. Wood might be an overpowering feature if not used correctly. So, we restricted its usage of window framing, doors, storage units and traditional spaces like the Puja room interiors. Calming wall paint colours, bold marble cladding, glass railing, and other landscape features give the interior an exuberant vibe.
Home Planning
As the clients liked a fusion of interior and exterior spaces, an open planning layout eventually became the option for the clients. The plot is 50’ x 100’, facilitating dedicated landscape design and outdoor family hangout areas.
The main entrance for the home faces east, unlike the north-facing plot. A small sit-out area helps demarcate the entry from the parking and pedestrian entryways. The client, a reputed engineer with a product management background, wanted a nice home-office area secluded from the living spaces. We zoned the office space at the home’s entrance with a lobby separating it from the rest of the house.
Open plan with partition and privacy
Following basic Vastu principles, the northeast corner is the Puja room, and a small foyer adjacent to it becomes the initial point of the rest of the living spaces. This foyer opens to a grand double-height living room with a Buddha statue and landscape feature extending in the setback. A statement interior partition wall with a TV unit on one side and a crockery unit on the other separates the living/dining areas. We included an individual opening to the landscape area from the dining. Further, a lavish L-shaped kitchen with a high breakfast table acts like a demarcator.
The landscape area from the living room is detailed to become a calming outdoor space with seaters, water features, stone cladding, vegetation and a Buddha statue. This place speaks for itself and is a sensory enhancer in the home.
