This Pune apartment possesses a rich, royal aesthetic

Textures, colours, patterns and forms form a detailed narrative under Red Brick Studio’s creative steerage.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Hemant Patil; courtesy Red Brick Studio 

The site

Design firm Red Brick Studio was approached by the client with two compact three-bedroom bare shell apartments to be combined into a single four-bedroom home for his family of five. Measuring 1,980-square-foot carpet area, the apartments were attached with a large podium level terrace of 2,100 sq ft.

The brief

The client’s brief was to convert a six-bedroom floor plate into a four-bedroom modern and open plan home with top priority given to functionality and customisation as per the lifestyle of individual family members. A key requirement was to have open and flowing spaces that interacted with the large terrace that was to be landscaped with a rustic palette.

The design intent

The main intent was to create a modern house where spaces seamlessly flowed into one another without compromising on privacy when required. The landscape terrace to the north was designed such that they became a part of everyday activities, erasing the lines between inside and outside. “During our interactions with the family, we noticed their deep appreciation for their native home town in Rajasthan, especially its architecture, art, craft and its overall royal heritage. Our goal, therefore, was to achieve the luxury of the royal heritage but in an understated manner that suited a more modern space,” state Anil Poduval and Ankur Kothari, principal architects at the studio.

The civil intervention

The six-bedroom floor plate was reorganised to a four-bedroom unit with minimum circulation space. One of the existing kitchens and smaller bedrooms were converted into walk-ins for the daughters’ and master bedrooms, while another smaller bedroom was converted into a study just off the dining area.

The kitchen was expanded and re-tailored to have a dedicated store room as per client requirements. It was positioned such that it was well connected to the dining and had an open kitchen feel but still well cut off from the formal living space. The master and parents bathrooms were extended onto the terrace and sky-lit landscape pockets were introduced to bring in more natural light.

The design response

Primarily facing north and being on the lowermost level of a 10-storey building, the apartment is in the shade zone of the building for most of the day. “This affects not only the quality of natural light in the interior spaces but also makes the volumes feel smaller. Our focus was on creating a free-flowing open plan layout with a seamless connection to the landscape terrace,” reveals the duo. “This helped not only in bringing in natural light into the deeper set spaces but also increased the visual expanse of the home. The large terrace was divided in functional zones using appropriately placed planters but without compromising on the fluid connectivity between them. We chose minimal and functional interiors grounded into the ‘less is more’ concept and used subtle yet sophisticated patterns to bring in the influences of a royal Rajasthan.” 

The material palette 

Materiality gravitates towards the plush and subtle. “Our goal was to achieve the luxury of a royalty but in an understated manner that suited a more modern space,” explain Anil and Ankur. “The satin-finish Italian marble flooring is contrasted by the two large pink sandstone walls that slash across the house. Reminiscent of Rajasthan’s architecture, these pink walls extend from the living and dining space into the landscape, engulfing it and blending the inside with the outside.” 

Rich textures of handcrafted materials colours and patterns are juxtaposed with patterns and colours, along with Indian art seamlessly in the entire space. From the specially commissioned ‘Tree of Life’ mural in the lobby to the customised pichwai wall art above the parents’ room headboard, the house is peppered with Indian art both in traditional and modern techniques.

“We chose to interpret the traditional arch in a minimal form and used it as an intrinsic space modelling tool along with the craft of woodwork,” the architects inform. “The arched niches and fluted wall panels use traditional materials applied in a modern context, eventually creating a modern envelope for showcasing traditional art and crafts.”

The highlights 

“The living and dining spaces are the ideal expression of the design concept,” opines the duo. “Plush textures, rich colours and traditional art blend with the modern composition and detailing of the furniture. The traditional pink sandstone in its contemporary and minimalist application forms a perfect backdrop to juxtapose the textures of the bold inlay flooring and the details of the customised traditional artwork. This duality gives the house a modern perspective but with a reflection of the past.”

The challenges

With the opening up of the plan and expansion of spaces, one of the challenges was the low height of the apartment ceiling. “Our solution was to ensure that these large spaces were flooded with natural light for which we provided large format sliding doors that opened into the verandahs,” disclose the architects.

Fact file 

Project: The Royal Impression
Location: Aundh, Pune
Area: 1,980 sq ft
Principal architects: Anil Poduval and Ankur Kothari
Design team:  Sakina Josh
Contractor: Ankush Ghare