Tathastu, a word of Sanskrit origin often heard in mythological series to grant a wish, literally means “so be it“. This concrete-and-red brick facade mansion in Nadiad, Gujarat is the family home of Subhash Shah, a civil engineer by profession. Designed by ACE Associates, the simplistic facade belies the tastefully-decorated sprawling house inside.
Project Name: Tathastu Bungalow
Studio Name: ACE Associate
Who lives here: Mr. Subhash Shah , his wife and two teenage daughters
Location: Nadiad, Gujarat
Year built: 2019
Size: 5,378 sq.ft house comprising 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms
Photograph courtesy for the images: INCLINED STUDIO
The 5,378 sq.ft home is spread over two levels. It is a minimalist and uncluttered home. To box it under a particular design style would not be apt as it is a mix of contemporary and traditional design.
The layout of the house is simple that flows naturally from the public to private areas. All the rooms are well illuminated with natural light and some with a direct line of sight to the greenery outside. The house is built in accordance with Vaastu Shastra – the ancient spatial principles of design and architecture.
Garden + Foyer
Housed in a residential area, the entrance faces the south. Summers can be harsh in this part of the country. To keep the heat at bay using clever design, the architects incorporated a garden area and a veranda between the boundary wall and the living areas of the house.
The architect adds,
The green wall ~ garden ensures the house is not exposed to direct sunlight by acting as a privacy and heat barrier. The juxtaposing of concrete and red bricks gives the home an earthy look. For us, the most interesting aspect of this project was that the client is a civil engineer which meant he understood the creative and technical aspects of the project at a micro level. He gave us complete artistic freedom to execute the project.
The garden has a veranda, just like olden homes, with a leather bench – isn’t that a healthy mix of old design and modern comfort? The foyer has a Ganapati painting with a wooden bench and contemporary pendant light.
Living + Dining
The living room is bright and airy with the large windows overlooking the garden in the front. To the right of the foyer is a huge open space that serves as the living — accommodating a formal and informal living with no partitions. The formal living room overlooks the front yard comprising veranda and the garden, while the informal (family) living with the TV opens up to the dining and private areas of the house.
Intersecting the informal living and kitchen, the dining space is having minimal raw wood log dining table and wooden chairs. Dining + open kitchen with large windows. The kitchen is in contemporary style with high gloss finish in white and saffron color & outfitted with all modern equipment.
Bedrooms
One of the daughter’s bedroom caught my fancy. I mean, how often do you see a bedroom dressed in bright pink?
The master bedroom is located on the ground floor having an Italian marble floor, a poster bed with tear wood paneling at back which overlooks the personal green courtyard. The decor of the guest bedroom is a simple beige and brown color theme. For me, this is the room that literally sang to me with its vibrant pink hues. The daughter’s bedroom in fusion theme has a candy pink washed vintage bed & bench.
The other daughter’s bedroom is more muted with a classy white washed teak furniture. The striking color & pattern of bed cushions and bed back fabric panel bring life to the space. The navy blue head board paneling is a customized acoustic panel made of fabric.
