A brass inlaid wooden tablet reads the name of this abode as it guards the porch.
58, Nirant could have been a typical bungalow that looked exactly like its neighbors. And even when the Architecture is unchanged, what the Usine team has done for this house is apparent right from that entrance porch.
Project: 58, Nirant Bungalow
Firm Name: Usine Studio
Status: Built
Client: Mihir Panchal
Area: 7880 sq ft.
Principal Designers: Yatin Kavaiya & Jiten Tosar
Design team: Yatin Kavaiya, Jiten Tosar, Chitra Sindhkar
Contractors: Mayur P. Thakkar
Photography: Photographix
Text Credit: Hothal Sidhpura
Client’s Brief
The clients had floating pieces of ideas for what they needed in each of the spaces individually.
Concept
Which allowed Usine to knit tiny concepts, and managed to create a space that strikingly entailed its essence of luxury with simplicity and glam with neat look as one overarching concept. Their signature sleek, unencumbered language remains intact throughout though.
Client’s requirements allowed Usine to knit tiny concepts, and managed to create a space that strikingly entailed its essence of luxury with simplicity and glam with neat look as one overarching concept. Their signature sleek, unencumbered language remains intact throughout though.
Design Process
A teakwood door stands solemnly on the edge of the porch, banked by a contemporary white mural of an elephant herd in stone. The entrance foyer is greeted by another white backlit stone mural that sits in a brass frame. This delicate piece is fronted by a heavyset teak cabinet with more highlights of inlaid brass. This white and brass teamed with the rich wooden tones is perhaps the only continual feature that runs through the house.
The living room is rendered with a muted palette that runs through the walls as well as the furniture. A slight wash of light animates the textured gold-leaf mural that is set upon the leather finish Italian marble feature wall. The armchairs have a floral pattern running over them and that is the sole graphic feature of this space. On the opposite wall, three handcrafted ceramic plates by Vinod Daroze, hang like aged chakras over the patterned mantle in cream. The deep brown polished teak against the beige gives an intense classic feel to this living room.
The living room opens into the dining space where the colors are carried forward but not the mood; it breaks into a less solemn gathering place that is marked with a playful triangulated mural in white, beige and hints of orange. The dining table is a polished white stone top on the same deep brown teak legs. The chairs are regal in presence but sport a playful profile and an even more playful dragonfly pattern in upholstery. A contemporary chandelier that seems to be put together with plumbing pipes and lanterns, fixes the feel of this semi-formal dining for good. The powder toilet has a patterned band printed on cork sheet running along the perimeter of the full-length mirror. The yellow sandstone basin pedestal is complemented well by the brown of the cork sheet. The adjoining kitchen is a clean, contemporary modular ensemble in steel grey, with state-of-the-art fixtures and finishing.
The informal living space is a double height royal expression. A narrow wall between this space and the dining space is adorned with a set of four boldly colored artworks of Hindu deities by Chandan Dubey. On a cabinet set against this wall, stands a circular candelabra sculpture. Here grey sofas plumped up with purple cushions, are seated majestically below a variety of glass and brass chandeliers, suspended at different heights. This is set in front of a bay of double height curtain walls with clear views of the garden outside.
The ground floor bedroom has an urbane feel owing to the light grey upholstery and textured feature wall. A set of artworks that resemble the underbellies of mushrooms float like bubbles over this wall, endowing the space with an effervescent sophistication. The other bedroom on this floor has a backlit feature of Italian marble with gold-leaf work done on it. The rest of the details follow in the gold, beige, wooden scheme.
Even though all the bedrooms are of distinctly different concepts, the material palette and color palette didn’t disconnect and allow to communicate with the concept of the entire house.
The first floor has two bedrooms, one of which belongs to the client’s two young sons. Therefore the features in this room have been designed to be quirky and sporty. The main wall has a wood textured wallpaper upon which various signage frames are hung on. The bed is an interesting grey partition parapet running through it, in order to “divide the territory” for both the boys, while still keeping them in the shared space of a bedroom. Their seating furniture is in a funky mustard shade, with lots of quote-covered cushions. The other first-floor bedroom was meant for the guests and has gold highlighted fabric clad panels in dark brown to give it a warm timeless feel abutting a bedpost in brass and wood veneer.
Both these bedrooms are connected by a breathing space that overlooks the informal living space and the surrounding lawns through the curtain walls. This small area is minimally articulated with an exquisite Kashmiri carpet against the wall and only a couple of beige upholstered armchairs in polished brass structure, which sit perfectly with the brass and glass chandeliers now at almost eye-level of the viewer.
The stitched up narrative of Nirant, meaning that which is endless, finally culminates with the space that is closest to the greens: the gazebo, where the light grey slowly recedes against the surge of beige in the flooring. And though we were told that there isn’t any overarching idea imposed on all the spaces, even here one can see the unforced knitting of threads that bind the house together: the gold and the beige furniture set languidly below the rich brown pergola.
Usine Studio
Usine is an emerging design studio, based in Vadodara; founded by Yatin Kavaiya and Jiten Tosar, they started their own firm USINE studio: their creative workhouse in 2010 to tap into the growing market. Prior to this they were senior designers at a well-established architectural firm in the city, Vadodara and was involved in exclusive residential development and other type of projects, working with a handpicked group of designing team.
Before starting the firm their minds were bursting with creative thoughts urging to create innovative and comfort spaces, that’s what made them conclude on their search for firm’s name to USINE STUDIO, which is a French word, meaning THE DESIGN FACTORY explaining how our firm works as a team!
Whilst the firm’s partiality to clean lines, minimalistic palette, artistic approach and giving meticulous attention to details, also fuses luxe to organic accents in our forte..
They believe that every space deserve to become a poetic response to its context and at the same time be a living reflection of the people who inhabit in it.
Their dedication is towards making spaces that not only look good but, also work which is why they place a lot of effort on functionality and context. The studio’s approach is grounded in the search for contextually appropriate solutions. Special emphasis is given to the response to climate, the existing scale and character of the context, appropriate use of materials and construction techniques, and the development of the project aesthetic as a result of these specific conditions.
“This is the same world of inspiration in which we source and find definition, aesthetics and plasticity to match our needs” says the designers. The senior designers believes in a collaborative approach to design that doesn’t encourage short-lived trends, instead opting for a quality and timeless design. They assume that the client’s requirements should be fulfilled in the best possible and most creative way by reflecting occupant’s life-style.
The approach decided has to be programmatically pragmatic yet sympathetic in aesthetics.
At the crux of all working strategy lies the idea that whatever they design has been unique and specialised in its expression; and this fuels them to constantly strive for innovation and experimentation with materials. Our love for art and richness in design is displayed through use of earthy materials and original paintings and murals.
One of their key strength is their keen attention to the execution of the designs so that the clients are assured of the highest quality. Their work range from residential settlements to commercials, retail showrooms, hospitality, and boutique offices,etc.
Few of their works have been recognized and published in architectural and interior magazines, coffee table books – BETTER INTERIORS, INSIDE OUTSIDE, CONTEMPORARY HOMES, FACADES … and have also been awarded for some of their architectural interior projects like in FOIAD, IIID, …
Which marks them as one of the leading and most sought after architectural and interior design firm in the city.
