Crafted Elegance

This was an apartment renovation project for a young couple and their son who belong to an ‘estate’ family hailing from Chikmagalur. Having grown up in an estate bungalow, staying in a small apartment in Bengaluru during a post pandemic world was getting to them. Since they now had to spend more time indoors, they called Studio Skapa Architects to renovate their apartment. “The brief we got from them was: ‘we want a refreshing feeling that makes us happy to be at home and not feel like we’re stuck in a tiny apartment’,” reminisces studio founder Charita Kishore Rupa. “This was an exciting challenge for us, to turn a small apartment of only 1,100 sq ft into a functional, magical space for the family. We started with introducing some cheer to the space by adding colour and letting in more light.”

The spatial rejuvenation was enacted with the help of effervescent hues and patterns that would energise the environment, and reflective surfaces that would enlarge the space visually — always keeping in mind the client’s love for dark wood carved furniture. “Knowing that the space was small, going for dark wood furniture was a bold move. But we were inspired to make lovely custom-made pieces and source antiques from different parts of South India,” the young architect tells us. 

The entrance foyer hosts an example of this creative strategy. Here, a hardwood shoe cabinet made by the client’s family carpenter from Chikmagalur, has been ‘completed’ by adding repurposed wardrobe shutters from the client’s old estate home and blue ceramic handles to it.

In the living room, the design team changed the dull laminate flooring into gorgeous Jaisalmer yellow tiles and the dark wallpaper into a lighter transitional pattern. These were complemented with pops of blues. An antique mirror sourced from Ooty makes the space seem larger and brighter. “Under the mirror, we added a beautifully carved floating console that was also sourced from an antique store in Ooty, to which we added a gorgeous cloudy white onyx giving it a rich yet elegant feel,” adds Charita. 

The bar area was updated with dark blue Duco-finished storage teamed with patterned ceramic tiles. Opposite it, a custom mirror featuring antique panels bought from Puducherry, now sporting a distressed blue and gold finish, creates a fun corner. The bespoke trait continues to the dining area as well, where a custom-made chandelier fashioned out of an antique rafter and pendants from Purple Turtles, Bengaluru, hovers over a cloudy white onyx-topped table. ”Its base, too, was sourced from Ooty,” discloses the architect. The biggest game-changer in this area, she adds further, was the frosted fixed glass that replaced a white UPVC window overlooking a duct. “This way we retained the light coming in and got rid of the sour sight of the duct behind.” The kitchen was remodelled to make it more functional by adding extra storage and aesthetic appeal. Beautiful Moroccan pattern tiles that form the backsplash behind the hob are teamed with deep blue gloss tile for the rest of the backsplash. 

The bedrooms are defined by engineered wood floorings that lends the requisite warmth. The master space is divided into a sleeping area and a small lounge. “We wanted to go with pastels in this room and a bit more traditional.” For instance, a part of an old wooden door frame (sourced from Puducherry) was added to the existing hardwood bed, and the headboard and footboard were upholstered with a dusty rose fabric. Their son’s crib was repurposed as a small seater.

The guest bedroom received a complete makeover. The balcony was enclosed to create a study corner that houses a table belonging to the client’s great-grandfather. A part of a Victorian almirah was added to the bed, whose headboard and footboard were upholstered in a teal fabric.

“We are glad we managed to achieve exactly what the clients asked for,” exults Charita, “Although it is a small apartment, we carefully detailed out every little feature and corner and brought the client’s dream of having a home filled with antiques and dark wood furniture alive.” 

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Orka Photography; courtesy Studio Skapa Architects