This 3BHK accommodates the couple with their two kids, and their frequently visiting parents. Our clients lovingly named their home “Nelavanka” from the get go, which in Telugu stands for the Crescent Moon. “From changing seasons, to life and death, a Crescent Moon indicates timelessness at large”, says our client Dr Chandan Kumar. One of the most interesting aspects of designing this home was to encourage a “slow living” lifestyle, where the home actually helps to slow down and live in the moment, which savours the more profound sensory experiences that are so easily overlooked in the chaotic world we live in. The key was to have archetypal and timeless design moves and interventions which encouraged more family time and moderated time spent on screens, while also fostering individuality and nurturing personal interests. Finding the extraordinary in the everyday humdrum and paying tribute to the client’s illimitable love for the moon, we named this home “Bright Side of the Moon”.
Seeing few of our previous projects, our clients were inclined to explore natural materials like wood, rattan, and stone, use of indigenous arts and crafts, introduce greens in strategic locations and also have bespoke lighting, switch plates and furniture designs in their space; SLOW - sustainable-local-organic-whole, a design take we like to implement in our projects at Studio KE.
The foyer is the gateway into the house and offers the first glimpse at a deliberate slow lifestyle. A louvered shoe cabinet allows for air to freely flow into an otherwise putrid cabinet, which also houses an inbuilt seating to reduce the chaos and discomfort while stepping out of the home. This is complemented with the eclipsed moon mirror which becomes a pause point as we enter or leave the house. The foyer has its first hint at a green thumb which is placed with the intention of introducing calming greens. Right from this portal you notice the common spaces have been tied together with wood rafters and cane weaving.
The living room arrangement is rather simple and democratic with the intention of encouraging conversations and to enhance interactions through ‘play’ and ‘read’ as family activities. A television set is very obviously missing from this area with the sole intention of reducing the alarmingly increased screen time that most of us resort to.
Keeping the client’s requirement of an open plan in mind, the living, dining and the open kitchen are divided by a retractable screen which can completely hide behind wood panelling as required. The screen offers privacy while maintaining a partial visual connection with the other spaces and is designed to allow a varying amount of sunlight and a play of shadow into the dining area. The flooring in the common areas is understated, whereas the intricate carpentry becomes the main point of focus. We have introduced colour through upholstery, art and accent pillows.
The main couch is sleek and conventional in its looks, whereas the other pieces of furniture like the daybed and the coffee table are more sculpturally crafted. This creates a balance of simplicity and intricacy that is repeated throughout the house.
The dining area is rich with visual and physical texture. Separated from the living room with a three-layered screen, the dining table is tucked into this area flanked by “Stack” credenza which also acts like a serving platform on one side and a crockery unit on the other. The area has bespoke reclaimed wood lights that follow the design language of partial visibility. Hints of brass are repeating throughout the furniture pieces, switch plates and lighting which play a contrasting role to the otherwise neutral tones.
“Snow top” dining table with “Bombay Brass” chairs are designed by our other vertical Fill in the Blanks (FITB). Considering the limited area designated for the dining, we intentionally played with a lighter yet contrasting palette and added a visual texture by introducing the “Dala Horse” rug by Bareeki to unify the space.
The open kitchen design continues with the colour scheme of black and white with texture and hue introduced through the wood shutters, shelves and fluted panelling. The breakfast bar with the custom bar chairs gives the family an interaction interface while the kitchen is being used or to simply enjoy hot breakfast right from the pan. The bar chair like many other smaller furniture pieces and accessories in the house are a subtle abstraction of the different phases of the moon.
Much like the other muted spaces, we have picked a soothing collection of materials. The idea was to have an understated space which made everyone who visited their house comfortable and at home. We have retained the fixtures provided by the developer and worked with the client’s requirement of storage and basic necessities to get a clean and linear design language in the powder loo.
The Master Bedroom is predominantly raw and rustic with organic undertones and brass accents. We enter into an open yet understated walk-in wardrobe that is placed in their wide passage. The space opens up into a bedroom with dark flooring to compliment the lighter tones of materials used in the room. We have generously used rattan to bring in a permanent sense of calm and warmth to the room. As work from home culture is on the rise, it was important to the client to have two workspaces within the master bedroom. While one of the corners houses a formal study desk, we found a way to have a more cosy and casual work space overlooking the window where one could just be relaxed, put their feet up and work for long hours while enjoying the view. The underside of this seating is a curvy book rack for them to store away books, magazines and other office accessories as is needed. A laptop table ’Flamingo’ designed by FITB is tucked in here to provide a platform for them to keep their laptops and coffee mugs on. Abutting this nook is a large painting, ‘The Som’ customised by artist Bhavesh Davane which is an abstract interpretation of the different phases of the moon.
The room reveals many intricate details which marry wood to brass as is seen in the bed legs, wardrobe handles, laptop table and the switch boards. The pivoted brass lights also go along with the theme of the room and are sourced from LTBL. The bed design is simple and straightforward with a cane headboard and printed upholstery headboard that takes cues from the overall hues of the materials used in the room. To one side of the bed we have a brass installation which displays the moon in its many forms and the cyclical behaviour of it as is reflected in our lives. The rough concrete paint from Kemtex unifies the room’s details, materials and textures. This room was also designed keeping slow living as a main lifestyle choice.
This room is the one space in the house which is bright and colourful and exhibits the kids favourite colour schemes. The trundle bed with its Arch-Nook headboard and an attached study table makes for a focal point in the bedroom. We have played with lighter wood and veneer to give a subtle background to the otherwise playful room. The colour scheme is inspired from the kids' love for Spiderman. The choice to go for a trundle bed was very clear as the kids needed more space to pursue their hobbies like dancing and drawing, but also provided them with space for playing when the room was not being used for slumber. The daughter required a long mirror to observe and practice her dance moves. The daughter-son duo also wanted a white and black board to draw on during their playtime or otherwise mimicking a classroom setting while studying.
The guest bedroom is an extension of the design, colours and textures predominantly seen in the house. The room is designed in a way to work around materials and detailing so as to not be confined to a specific user set. This allows the room to be truly multifunctional in terms of hosting the clients set of parents and other family who would visit on a regular basis. The room design is clean and rustic, and incorporates use of natural materials like reclaimed wood and jute panels as is seen in the wardrobe shutters. The robust headboard is upholstered with vegan leather. The ceiling lights have wooden disc and brass accents as seen in other parts of the home and have an overall ambient lighting catered to more of a resting environment. The wood art and the freestanding mirror add to the classic appeal of the room.
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