Houses are often described as beautiful, comfortable or even luxurious, but when it comes to creating comfort in a small space, it can be described as maneuvering.
Project Name: Lagom
Studio Name: Studio SpaceTime
Project Location: Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India
Completion Year: 2024
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 80 m2
Lead Architects: Tamil Pari, Sabesabharathi
Photo Credits: Sabesabharathi
This project is a modest 80 sqm two-bedroom home. inspired by the efficiency and economy of mid-century modern housing, setting the standard for a home that should never be limited by one beliefs.
As is common in our designs, we used compact planning, robust materials available in local. Using functional angles with billowing openings. Sustainability was built into the bones, with all-ventilation operations and passive design principles influencing the project siting, organisation, structure and details.
In the middle of this rural settlements, stands this single-storey house replacing a dilapidated structure with a simple material palate, that cuts, folds and bends to articulate the efficiency in design. Its functional robustness emerges from the fabric of the resident’s life and everyday routines.
An angled corner at the southwest end marks the wide entrance to this house.
As one enters, a clear open space is bathing in the warm embrace of the sun which manages to peek in from the skylights and deeply recessed windows placed at different levels on each side to allow a connection to the outdoors, without compromising the privacy of the space.
The living, kitchen and service spaces on the ground floor are arranged in a linear spread, one after the other. These spaces merge into one another in the absence of barrier, instead we use existing elements like furniture and staircase to bifurcate the spaces or a threshold, This highlights the character of versatility in a single space that can accommodate multiple functions.
The furniture, particularly the seating unit, frames the living space against the backdrop of a staircase – each step in a staircase is an independent piece of metal finished in wood that serves as seating, storage or even display.
Since there are no opaque boundaries, only the solid furniture conveys the extent of the transitional space, leading to a small level that serves as a transitional nook from the living room to the kitchen. A peek into what lies upstairs brings the feel of a courtyard. But no, this isn’t a courtyard, showered with light by the semi open skylight.
On reaching the upper floor, a single bedroom space and bathroom cover the floor, flooding the space with ambient light.
The result is a beautiful but highly flexible home that is a joy to live in and very cost-effective to run.
