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Interior

20-04-2026

Text provided by Mehar Deep Kaur

What happens when an architect designs a home by questioning the very idea of rooms? In Rajkot, Viral Patel, principal architect of Sparsh Design Studio, uses his own 2,200- square-foot apartment to challenge the conventions of compartmentalised living.

“I didn’t want to design a rigid house,” says Viral. “I wanted to let the home evolve—the way spaces did when I was growing up.” After two decades of designing for others, his own 3 BHK became the place to translate that memory into built form. The idea of an “open house” becomes its organising principle, yielding a spatial continuum of interconnected volumes—fluid, porous and resistant to enclosure. Arched openings appear where walls might have stood, and raised platforms delineate zones.

Reclaimed wood prevails throughout, bearing the hand impressions of local craftspeople. Cane, lime plaster, moulded surfaces and natural finishes introduce a wabi-sabi softness that tempers the structure, while muted base tones sit beside fearless bursts of soft pink, indigo, and even stark orange. “Indian homes were never afraid of colour,” Viral remarks, gesturing to the vibrant upholstery and hand-embroidered curtains . “They were just balanced.” But the pièce de résistance of the palette is the flooring—customised monolithic terrazzo inlaid with large pieces of black Kadappa stone. Heavy yet supple, it merges seamlessly with built-in seating and walls.

Rajkot,Gujarat,India

Architects	:	Sparsh Design Studio
Area	:	2200 sq. ft.
Year of Completion	:	2024
Website	:	https://www.instagram.com/sparsh_designstudio/?hl=en

Living room of Naksh by Sparsh Design Studio

Living Area of Naksh by Sparsh Design Studio

Furniture remains light and flexible, capable of reorienting itself towards multiple spaces, depending on the moment. “I wanted the furniture to behave the way people do. Informally,” he explains. Across, terracotta planters soften corners and niches appear organically, referencing quintessential Indian interiors. Natural ventilation is central to the experience, with louvered windows enabling cross-breezes that often make mechanical cooling unnecessary. The walls carry a layered art collection that moves from senior artists of Gujarat, such as Jayesh Shukla, Amit Ambalal, and Jyoti Bhatt, to folk traditions—Rajasthani pattachitra, kutch embroidery, charcoal works, and linocuts.

At its core, this is a home designed to remain unfinished. “It has to stay open to change,” notes Viral. “Otherwise, it becomes a product.” Conceived as a “half house”—always complete, never saturated—it invites additions, erasures, and reinterpretations over time.