Skype 31-Five Gardens, a 45 floor residential complex in Matunga is designed and executed by Studio Emergence for TMGL Living. The highlight of the building is the double heighted podium. The podium facade which appears to be moving creates an experience for the passersby in motion due to its parametric facade. The building hosts commercial business at the ground floor and encompasses residential apartments at all levels.
Firm Name: Studio Emergence
Project Type : Apartment Interiors
Project Name : Skye 31, Five Gardens
Location : Matunga, Mumbai
Year Built : 2022
Duration of project : 20 days
Project Size: sq feet : 800
Project Cost Appx : 28 lakhs
Principal Architect(s) : Seeja Sudhakaran, Khusbhu Davda
Team Design Credits: Rishabh Verma, Devashri Deshmukh
Photograph Courtesy : Yamini Krishna Photography
The entrance of the building welcomes us with the identity of the building. As we move inside, we are graced by a vaulted reception lobby, this opulent lobby leads to the podium and upper floors.
The podium top is crafted with sculptural landscape pockets and recreational activities like a party lawn, play areas, pavilion, walking tracks and an infinity swimming pool. It overlooks the city view and connects with the sky, making it a space of reflection and relaxation.
Being the design architects of the Skye 31- Studio Emergence was also asked to create a contemporary space which reflected the same design ideologies used in the building; simple yet striking. This, alongside a tight deadline created a challenge for the architects that required a fast design solution.
Hitting the three checkpoints; quality, time and cost, STEM created a well-executed apartment with a palette of muted tones, pre-finished materials and products that were easy to execute. It gives visitors a peak into their aspirations without getting intimated – a space that they can call home. Moreover, the idea of spatial continuity at the apartment guided the designers towards demolition of certain columns giving amplitude and connection to the totality of the apartment.
Upon arrival, the apartment invites you with an eclectic mix of furniture and decor, which comes on as warm and makes one aspire to have identical elements at their homes. The design language of the project speaks about transparency in modern India through smart modifications in preconceived traditional spaces. For instance, instead of a separate room or a solid physical divide, the kitchen is treated as part of the living room through a glass partition allowing a direct visual connection between different activities and people.
As we move towards the lobby, the wainscoting on the accent wall and a modern chandelier anchoring the dining table adds to the stylish essence of the apartment. The accent wall is further embellished with customised wallpapers which surprises through its textured surfaces.
Reflecting the qualities of the living room, the bedroom gives us a play of formal and informal tones. Charcoal panels over the headboard display a sophisticated look and play a crucial part in easy execution and an effortless pre-finished look. The simple wardrobe relates to the basic needs of storage while also creating a private work corner for changing trends in office spaces.
The use of black and white in the ensuite bathroom gives a unique and formal experience. With a contrasting approach the team has designed the other ensuite bathroom with light brown marble and complementary surfaces that offers a definite look.
Mirroring the warmth of its personal spaces, the second bedroom offers an earthy palette giving the sleeping space all elements of relaxation. The fluted glass for the wardrobe and textured walls provide different textural dimensions to the room, at the same time the material colours bring all architectural qualities together. Accentuating the beauty further, the painting above the headboard by Archana Mehta soothes our senses and a view of the city life makes it a complete bedroom.
“The idea of creating a sample flat is to show the client how the space looks but I think what Studio Emergence has done is beyond that and beautified it so well and real. It’s like a home that people can relate to. It’s very difficult to get a combination of simplicity and class, and that’s what the team has achieved in this project. It is simple, yet classy and not opulent. The target audience who visited the sample apartment completely connected to it” – Uma Subbaraman, TMGL Living
About the Firm
Studio Emergence is a design studio founded by two architects, Seeja Sudhakaran and Khushbu Davda, with a penchant for geometry in design and Parametric Design Approach.
Our design process seeks to bridge the gap between the material properties, contextual parameters, and digital techniques. We believe Art can bring people, space and nature on to the same frequency; it can unite audiences with experiences that inspire a reconnection to our planet. We work on projects of different scales using the same ethos, be it an art installation, interior or urban design or a high rise building.
