Minimalist Beauty

Uneven designs a minimalist home with careful inserts of traditional elements for a simple family based in Vadodara.     

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Darshan Dave; courtesy Uneven

The Kalrav residence was designed by Uneven for a simple family who wanted their home to reflect their personalities. The clients wanted open spaces for daily use; and their love for Indian traditional elements to be incorporated through a subtle design in this house. As the project was built from scratch, Shourya Patel and Dexter Fernandes, principal architects, Uneven, could create a layout which ensured a palpable circulation between public and private spaces. “A minimal approach towards design along with fusion of ethnic concepts of modern technology resulted in creating this contemporary example. In an attempt to blur the lines between the new and the old, a home for a Gujarati family with engaging interior and exterior spaces was designed, thus Kalrav was formed,” say the architects.

Kalrav is an interplay between contemporary and classical style of architecture, and incorporates an earthen palette emphasising the sobriety of the volumes. The windows on either side of the facade have been veiled with exposed brick arches which end with a gable roof. The approach to the bungalow is through a linear driveway sided by retained coconut palms with landscape in an organic pattern; which is complimented by stone cobble flooring laid in a concentric circular pattern. The driveway leads to a grand porch where one witnesses a figure of lord Shiva stippled on grey Kandla stone. The artistic doorway of the residence is elevated and provided on the first floor.

The entrance opens into a foyer, followed by a lounge which is a double-heighted area with a gable roof and wood clad ceiling. These two areas are divided by semi-gothic arches with a wooden frame and a fixed glass in between. The central arch here has a beautiful floral jaali pattern that runs till the top. Another interesting element are the four intersecting wooden rose windows composed in a contemporary style. In reference to the interiors, these arches along with the carvings act as an accent to the space. The handcrafted chandeliers in this space are inspired by a blooming lotus which is hung upside down from the ridge.

The lounge is the central part of the first floor — it leads to the pooja room, family room, formal sitting, parent’s room and verandah. The verandah with exposed brick columns opens into the garden with a vista of a line of date palms, and a Zen garden. The folded plate staircase in the lounge area runs down to the ground floor where a family area, deck and a swimming pool is placed. The swimming pool has been enclosed with a blanket of exposed brick arches that complement the arches in the front facade. The ground floor hosts space for activities such as the gym, home theatre, pool, and access to the rear garden. The design language on this floor is slightly bolder and vibrant, in comparison to the floors above as per the purpose of the space. The second floor comprises of three bedrooms and the terrace garden covered with pergolas. Each minimalist bedroom has been treated differently, keeping the occupants personality, style and needs in mind.

Fact File

Project: Kalrav
Client: Sachin Patel
Location: Vadodara, Gujarat
Area: 22,000 sq ft
Principal architects: Shourya Patel and Dexter Fernandes
Design team: Rajan Patel, Hardik Kharadi and Ami Shah