VAIRAAG by Foresight Associates

“VAIRAAG” a 3690 sq. ft. house designed and decorated by Foresight Associates in Bill, Vadodara, Gujarat is an exemplary suburban house with a fresh, modern design and contrasting rustic elements. The name of the house was decided to be a combination of the names of the homeowners – Vaishali and Gaurang. “When we heard their idea for the name, we knew that this would have to be a design that reflects them – their love, their values and their personalities. Our goal had always been to marry design aesthetics with the personalities of the home owners to make the home unique to them. And we think we did just that. Of course, our efforts would not have paid off without the help from our clients,” say the brains behind the project at Foresight Associates – Shivali Agrawal, Kunal Patel and Azaz Saleh. 

The raw concrete exterior with exposed bricks and sparsely used rustic metal gives the house a modern façade, while the simple grey picket fence and the landscaping of the garden and balconies makes it softer – homelier. In the front façade, customized corten steel jalis have been designed in such a manner that it cast an interesting sociography in the interior spaces, as well as give a modern look in the elevation of the house. The low granite steps, the beautiful details of exposed bricks and the seamless transition into teak-wood main door, this entrance sets the pace for the interior of the home. With the Oikos finished texture on the wall and the ceiling, this foyer gives the design a 3D look with the tasteful abstract wall art and its pseudo shadow on the flooring. The gigantic wooden door with the Patina-finish handle and the wooden entryway table with a pristine black marble top are the perfect embellishments.

Different shades of blue with a mix of playful textures are used for the upholstery of the sofas. The eccentric zebra striped rug, the hand-painted circular mural along with the visible exposed concrete of the foyer are in the hues of grey. The sporadically appearing mustard yellow in room creates the quintessential diversion and adds an element of surprise. This room also acts as a connector between the foyer and the rest of the house. Hence, the smartly designed zebra crossing lines in the passage with its console table automatically gives directions while adding a mischievous twist to the otherwise upstanding design.

Bathed in yellow, this living room screams ‘happy’. The traditionally contemporary TV unit, the L-shaped couch set and the end tables in shades of beige and brown complement the yellow of the color scheme. The sleek windows, the aquamarine chair and the aquamarine artwork on the wall add the right contour to the space. The minute detailing of diagonal wood texture, with a yellow pocket drawer on the TV unit and the traditional motifs of leaves on the MDF TV wall are what really catches your attention. With an open plan kitchen that opens up into the living and dining areas, this space is truly a ‘family space.’ The topaz green and grey color pattern is interesting, but the truly ‘wow’ factor of the kitchen is the breakfast bar with high-stools. Another important aspect of this design is that the kitchen opens up into the kitchen garden right outside the door.

In the dining area, the yellow chairs and the black marble top of the dining table are in delightful contrast. The spaciousness offered by the double heighted ceiling and the open floor plan of the living area gives this space a luxurious look. The double heighted ceiling features a custom wood paneled false ceiling with an elegant light fixture that adds to the glamour of the space. The Pooja room is also gifted with a double height ceiling that gradually tapers down to a pretty sabyasachi yellow wallpaper false ceiling and a gorgeous chandelier. The room is covered with glass on the opposite walls, and the Northern wall has an inlay of Australian White Stone in Jaisalmer Stone. This ensures abundant light into the room. The flooring is greyish marble inlayed with the Jaisalmer stone, which truly goes to show the attention given to detail while designing the space. The yellow color gives the feeling of happiness and the white makes the room tranquil and serene. 

The ground floor hosts a guest bedroom with twin beds, an intricate wall paneling with a huge wardrobe. The wardrobe also has a display space, complete with focus lighting. The seashore green, beige and brown in the room gives it a comfortable and snug feel. The stairwell is a classic combination of concrete and black granite. Black river finished granite is used on the tread of the stairs. The uniquely traditional windows in the stairwell assures an inflow of natural sunlight making the area feel light and airy. The hand painted paintings as well as light fixtures on the wall make the stairwell look elemental. The ornate statue at the bottom of the staircase is brought into focus from the light fixture on the topmost slab of the stairwell, making it a cherry on the cake. The first floor hosts the bedrooms of the couple and their children, along with a study space. The daughter’s room has been designed keeping simplicity and elegance in mind. A jali patterned palmate with the diffused lighting give the room a soft glow. The cane finished wooden and French doors that open into a small balcony are other notable features of the room. Designed keeping in mind the Indian Traditional Aesthetics, this master bedroom with its four poster bed is gifted with a huge customized wooden block frame panel with antique finishes. The rest of the room is kept light with a few tasteful paneling features. 

The first floor passage follows the trend of the passage downstairs and has abstract zebra crossing lines that tie in the whole design together. The son’s room is been designed to make it warm and cozy. The room is kept to a minimal with pistachio green and cream color palette and pops of mustard. An Italian-finished backdrop, and the abstract art pieces on the opposite wall with the bench, act as perfect accessories. The balcony of the room opens up into a balcony facing the lush greenery outside. The customized jali of dot matrix that creates diagonal chevron patterns as seen in the elevation of the house acts as one of the walls of the Study/Studio. It also creates very interesting shadow art as it has been designed specifically facing the Eastern direction, ensuring maximum sunlight. A huge floating desk that can easily sit two with a big giant unit that takes care of the storage and focus lights that would allow studying late into the night, this is an ideal space for studying and conducting business. The cozy chair with a coffee table on the corner of the room truly gives it a studio-like feel. As the client has a close-knit family that enjoys spending weekends together, it was important to have a home theatre where they could watch a movie or matches together. The interiors of Home Theatre are clad with acoustic panels and the huge sofa bed and recliners give the experience of cinema. Bollywood collages are installed on either side of the walls that gives it a theatrical vibe. Designed in beautiful white, gold and brown, this powder toilet has Moroccan and modern designs incorporated, giving it a remixed feel. 

“When we work, we always strive to keep the famous quote by Frank Gehry – ‘Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness’ – at the forefront of our process of designing and execution. This project was a long one, and interrupted with COVID-19 too. But the off time did give us the room to play with many experiential ideas. We have tried to keep it grounded with Traditional Indian touches and used western and contemporary designs to make it aesthetically pleasing. We are glad that our client is happy with the outcome and if the client is happy, so are we!” say the designers at Foresight Associates.