Living room of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Living room of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
The living room is where the design speaks most poetically. Taking inspiration from the sinuous flow of water, the very element that defines the site the architects conceived a flooring composition unlike any conventional treatment. The primary field of matte dark grey tiles is interrupted by an inlay of glossy white tiles, its form drawn directly from the organic curves of a stream in motion.
What elevates this gesture from decorative to architectural is its vertical echo: the precise shape of the floor inlay is mirrored in a recessed depression in the ceiling above, lined with cove lighting that casts a warm, continuous glow. Floor and ceiling speak the same language, the language of water and the room becomes a spatial poem about its own setting.
Living room of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Dining & Staircase of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Dining of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Reading nook of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Perhaps the most arresting element is the one that breathes. A plumeria tree, its white blossoms carrying the faint sweetness of temple offerings and fresh air grows inside the villa itself, rooted within the built volume as both inhabitant and symbol. It is from this gesture of bringing the outside in, of making nature not a view to be observed but a presence to be lived with, that the project takes its name. The Magnolia: for the spirit of flowering that pervades the house and its surrounding landscape.
The material palette is consciously restrained. A steel structural frame light, precise, and free of the weight that RCC carries. Interiors are furnished in solid teak: chairs, tables, and beds in natural teak wood, with teak veneer doors that add warmth without heaviness. Against the creamy white walls, the wood reads as honest and grounded, a counterpoint to the transparency of the glass façade.
Colour is used with clear intention. Terracotta and muted green drawn directly from the hues of the surrounding landscape, the laterite earth of the Sahyadri, and the monsoon foliage appear as accent tones throughout the interior. They prevent the white-and-wood palette from reading as cold or clinical, instead grounding the space in its geography. The effect is of a house that knows where it stands.
Passage to bedroom of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Bedroom 1 of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Bedroom 2 of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Bedroom 2 of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Bedroom 3 of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Bedroom 4 of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Balcony view of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
Swimming Pool Deck of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
The outdoor deck extends the living spaces toward the lake, functioning as a threshold between the built and the natural. A long reflecting pool, oriented directly toward the water, creates a secondary horizon line the dam beyond, the pool before it, and the sky above completing a triptych of reflection. At dawn and dusk, when the forts catch the light, the pool captures their image with quiet clarity.
The landscaping, conceived and designed in-house by the studio, reinforces the flowering character of the site. Plumeria trees punctuate the garden in generous number, their blossoms carrying the same spirit as the tree growing within, a seamless continuity between the cultivated and the built.
Gazebo of The Magnolia by Story of Walls Design Studio
The Magnolia is a precious project for Story of Walls Design Studio, founded by an architect and structural engineer who share a conviction that good design is inseparable from its place. At Pawna, the place offered everything: water, sky, and the Sahyadri range as a permanent, unhurried presence. The work of design, here, was largely one of listening and then, carefully, of framing.
Notably, The Magnolia was conceived, designed, and built entirely by the same team. Story of Walls Design Studio managed the construction of the project end-to end alongside the architecture, interiors, and landscape, a continuity of vision from first sketch to final finish that ensured every design intention was executed with precision and without compromise. It is a model of practice the studio intends to carry forward.
