There is a familiar comfort in using natural materials like brick and wood, particularly when they are left to speak for themselves. Utsav, designed by Studio Arcon in Baramati, distills this very idea into built form through generous volumes and double-height spaces.
Project Name: Utsav
Studio Name: Studio Arcon
Location of the Project: Baramati, Maharashtra, India
Date of Completion: 18 June, 2025
Built Area: 2400 sq ft
Photographer: Architectural Captures by Abhishek Chavhan
Designed for a family of four — the architect’s childhood friend, his wife, their daughter, his
mother, and their cat — the home was imagined as a quiet, sunlit retreat. The brief, simple
yet profound, called for a “low-maintenance home that feels breathable,” one where spatial
quality in voids and blocks, and material palette of minimal materials become the only true
ornaments of the home. Therefore, “The design of Utsav embraces restraint as its guiding
principle, and expresses the sentiment through height, depth, and voids,” the principal
architects, Jinesh Dhumavat and Shekhar Nahar explain the sentiment echoing through
every volume.
Exposed brick by the pioneering Radha Krishna Bricks forms the exterior shell, while white
walls inside amplify daylight, reflecting it softly through the courtyards and open spaces.
Inside, the palette remains deliberately subdued, inspired by vernacular cues and paired
with light oak furniture custom-designed for each proportion. Entering from the northeast,
a modest lobby leads into a courtyard that immediately draws in light and air. On the
ground floor, the living spaces gather around the courtyard, in varying degrees of height
and openness. The southeast kitchen connects seamlessly to the double-height dining area
— the brahmasthan of the home. Each room maintains a visual relationship with the
courtyard, creating a layout that unfolds through a series of vertical interactions rather
than linear corridors.
There is also a staircase anchoring the interlocking volumes across the ground and first
floors. Its stark white surfaces are illuminated by a skylight that orchestrates a quiet play of
light and shadow in the dining area. A bright red railing cuts through this clarity, offering a
moment of whimsy between the home’s understated grace. Upstairs are the master and
daughter’s bedrooms unfolding around terraces and Tostem openings that give a peek into
the lower floor.
“The site posed distinct challenges. Compact and hemmed in by taller buildings along its
rear edge, it demanded a design that could breathe within tight boundaries.” recall explains
Jinesh Dhumavat. Studio Arcon responded by carving openness inward, through
courtyards, double heights, and terraces. What began as a constraint became the project’s
defining feature – an inward-looking home that feels spacious, private, and filled with light.
There’s also a certain tenderness in how the design accommodates its occupants and their
lifestyles. The furniture remains deliberately minimal, crafted to serve the family’s routines. The bedrooms come alive with clay art, soft-toned wallpapers, delicate curiosities, ready to hold the simplicity and authenticity of the owners’ in the design’s bones.
“Simplicity defines every spatial decision in Utsav,” explains Shekhar Nahar. False ceilings
and heavy panelling are omitted, allowing the home’s proportions and material clarity to
stand on their own. Walk-in wardrobes are enclosed by airy partitions. Soft textures, muted
Kalakaari Haath wallpapers, and handcrafted clay pieces introduce gentle layers.
As light travels through the day, touching brick, oak, and white walls alike, the home seems
to transform in mood without ever losing its stillness. Sunlight dances across the walls,
tracing patterns that shift through the day, a quiet reminder that time itself forms part of
the architectural narrative crafted by Studio Arcon for Utsav.
