Conceived as a self-initiated studio, this space is an exploration of how architecture can quietly shape everyday experience. Rather than announcing itself as an office, the studio unfolds more like a lived-in home—measured, calm, and deeply tactile.
Project Name: Tula Studio
Studio Name: aka
Location: Varanasi
Total Area: 1500 Sqft
Lead Designer: Aditya Srivastava And Sanjana Singh
The design resists spectacle, choosing instead to focus on how light moves through the space, how materials age, and how comfort can coexist with clarity.
The layout is deliberately fluid, allowing workstations, collaborative zones, and informal seating areas to coexist without rigid boundaries. This openness encourages movement and interaction while maintaining a sense of intimacy. Soft transitions—through changes in material, lighting, and ceiling articulation—define spaces without enclosing them, creating an environment that feels expansive yet grounded.
A restrained palette of warm neutrals anchors the interior, allowing texture to take precedence over color. Cane, wood, stone, fabric, and muted metal finishes are layered thoughtfully, resulting in a space that feels both contemporary and timeless. Lighting plays a crucial role—not as a decorative afterthought, but as an architectural element that shapes mood and rhythm throughout the day. Diffused, warm light softens surfaces, reinforcing the studio’s residential character.
Beyond aesthetics, the studio acts as a living material library. Each surface and finish has been chosen not just for visual harmony, but for its ability to be touched, understood, and experienced. Clients are invited to engage with materials in an intuitive way—seeing how restraint, proportion, and thoughtful detailing can elevate even the most understated elements.
The project also questions conventional definitions of luxury. Instead of relying on rarity or excess, luxury here is expressed through balance—between lightness and depth, simplicity and richness, precision and warmth. This philosophy is reflected in the studio’s name, Tula, meaning balance in Sanskrit. The space becomes a quiet manifesto for a more mindful approach to contemporary Indian interiors—one that values longevity, comfort, and emotional resonance over trends.
Ultimately, the studio is not designed to impress at first glance, but to reveal itself over time. It is a space that rewards pause, invites conversation, and supports the everyday rituals of making—proving that when design is rooted in balance and intention, it naturally feels at home.
