Adapting to the needs of its residents is always central to the design for any space. For this
residence in Bikaner for a family of three – a couple and their son – the story of the family and their lifestyle choices have helped shape the perfect home.
Project Name: Echo House
Studio Name: SORA Design Studio
Location: Bikaner, Rajasthan
Year Of completion: 2025
Carpet Area: 8,680 sqft
Photography: Captura India
The planning clearly bifurcates private and semi-public spaces with the ground floor specifically dedicated to the frequently visiting guests of the home owner. The family resides on the first and second floor keeping in mind the privacy of the members as well as better ventilation opportunities at a higher level.
The husband, a doctor by profession, spends a large part of his time in a high stress
environment. Hence, designing a colourful and lively home that induces happy emotions was a priority. From hand painted frescos to two-storeyed mixed media wall art, each space in the home surprises you with an eye-catching, personalised element, intended to create a joyful experience.
Embracing colour in a world flooded with everything muted, the designers opted for a bold yet soothing palette for the space. Upon entering through the foyer on the ground floor, one is first greeted by a warm artwork on the wall paired with a vintage chair reupholstered and brought back to life. The space opens up into a guest bedroom as well as the drawing room, which is adorned in the shades of pink, beige and brown.
An important design challenge was presented with the height differences between the couple – husband’s height (6’-4”) and the wife’s height (5’-2”). Responding to that, the sofa chairs in the drawing room are slightly taller than the norm, offering ease of use for the husband. Similarly, throughout balconies of the house is a custom railing design that caters to both the members at the same time.
The ground floor also hosts a gathering hall and a swimming pool at the rear end of the home. An artistic, textured backdrop for the pool features a nostalgic wall feature design that hints at the landscape scenery every child learns to draw in the early years.
On the way to the first floor, the passage opening up to the second entrance of the home
embraces a verandah style of setup with the staircase design, encouraging a more informal
gathering space inspired by the homes from ancient times. The flooring and ceiling pattern has been coordinated and mirrored within the length of the passage to create a balanced visual in the space.
The stairwell opens up on the first floor into the dining space with the kitchen and living room on either side. The three common spaces are intentionally planned in a linear way to promote maximum interaction and visual connection between the small family of three at all times. The dining space hosts a unique dining table in handcrafted granite paired with tan leather finish chairs. The choice of material adds contrast to the black glass chandelier (which converts into a fan) as well as the wall clock artwork in the backdrop.
