Some projects arrive with more than a floor plan; they arrive with memory. When Vaishnavi Shinde, Founder and Principal Architect at Studio VSA, first collaborated with this client in 2023, it was for an office space in Satara.
Project Name: Veneer House
Studio Name: Vaishnavi Shinde
Location: Pune
Year: 2024
Carpet Area: 940 sq ft
Photographer: Ar. Abhishek Chavhan
A year later, the brief returned in an entirely different light — a compact home in Pune, envisioned as a grounding base for his daughters as they stepped into a new phase of their lives. Though modest in size, the emotional ambition was expansive.
Located within a redevelopment project in Kothrud, the 940 sq ft three-bedroom apartment came with its share of constraints. Columns and beam projections interrupted nearly every wall. One bedroom opened directly into the living area without a visual buffer. A balcony that never materialised left behind a sunken floor slab. The bathrooms were already completed, and the open kitchen required rethinking. It was, in essence, a space filled with potential — if handled with sensitivity.
The brief was straightforward: a calming home layered in earthy tones and warm wood. The studio sought to echo traditional richness within a contemporary Indian context, balancing tactile materiality with visual restraint.
Curves became the quiet protagonist of the design language. The first intervention emerged in the living room, where a low beam was concealed beneath a sweeping television partition. What began as a structural solution soon became a defining gesture. The curve softened the apartment’s inherent rigidity, flowing organically into adjoining spaces and diffusing the sharpness of projections and corners.
The palette transitions thoughtfully across the home. Communal areas are wrapped in creamy neutrals that reflect light and enhance the sense of openness. The bedrooms introduce cooler greens and blues, adding depth without overwhelming the compact footprint. Veneer remains central to the narrative, paired with brass accents that lend a timeless Indian-modern character. Colour is largely expressed through upholstery, while pattern surfaces subtly in linear detailing and chequered grids.
The living and dining areas, though modest in scale, were carefully reconfigured to comfortably seat a family of five. Storage is seamlessly integrated within panelling, maintaining visual calm. The original builder’s layout had no provision for a dining space, prompting the design of a compact table with curved wooden legs and an Australian onyx top. Custom-crafted to fit precisely, it anchors the room without obstructing movement.
Material decisions were guided by practicality as much as aesthetics. While veneer defines much of the home, the kitchen adopts laminates and acrylic finishes better suited to daily wear, complemented by warm-toned subway tiles that echo the broader palette. The open kitchen was visually enclosed using an extension of the television partition, subtly separating it from the living area without adding bulk.
Each bedroom carries its own personality while adhering to the larger material framework. Multifunctional furniture becomes essential in such a compact layout, with storage woven into nearly every element. Vastu considerations also shaped certain details. As mirrors could only be placed opposite the bed — traditionally discouraged — the studio introduced pull-out mirrors within dressing units, preserving both belief and design intent.
In the master bedroom, wood tones meet a chequered blue headboard that introduces a note of nostalgia. The wardrobe extends to the ceiling beneath a beam, maintaining a clean visual line. Veneered window frames and wooden flooring further enhance warmth. Just outside, a particularly thoughtful detail unfolds: because the bedroom door opens directly into the living room, it has been concealed within the television partition, camouflaged by the same chequered panelling.
The daughters’ bedroom adopts a softer, more playful mood. A subtle curve in the wall and headboard resolves another structural interruption while reinforcing the home’s overarching language. After several iterations, the furniture layout achieves a careful balance between functionality and expression.
The smallest guest bedroom embraces a darker wood-and-brass palette, deliberately restrained. A ceiling curve masks a corner beam niche, and colour is pared back to maintain lightness.
Through measured interventions and material sensitivity, Studio VSA transforms constraint into character. In this Pune apartment, softness is sculpted through curves, warmth through wood, and calm through deliberate design. It is a home that does not demand attention but earns it — a space that whispers rather than shouts, yet lingers long after you leave.
