Frame by Frame

In Surat, The Interior Workshop raises the bar using skilled masonry work with exposed brick and RCC in the multi-level home, Infinite Frames.

Curated by: Ambica Sharma
Photographs: Nilkanth Bharucha; courtesy The Interior Workshop

The site

Settled on a plot of 2,350 sq ft, Infinite Frames is a ground-plus-three-floor home for a joint family.

The brief

As the plot is situated in a heavily built-up area that lacks open spaces, the client wanted a home which was well-ventilated, filled with daylight, surrounded by greenery, and without privacy being compromised. To this brief were added the principles of vastu, to be intertwined with modern architectural practices.

The design response

Composed of exposed brick and RCC, and featuring expansive fenestration, Infinite Frames is a composite, multi-level build. “The client’s belief in vaastu led us to construct the built-mass on the eastern side and leave the west open with green spaces,” says Tejas Mistry, principal architect, The Interior Workshop. The development of the Rustic-Expose style, was specific to this project, in order to blend simplistic charm with a modern aesthetic.

The living area is a double-height space dressed in autumn colours accompanied by warm tones of exposed brick, natural wood and sunlight.

The spatial flow

While the open-space plan divides the home into various spaces, it also allows natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows to illuminate every corner of the home. The heights of the three levels have been determined by their function. The drawing room and associated spaces are housed in a double-height area on the first floor, while the bedrooms are on the second, and the terrace and entertainment room on the third floor. The service zone, as required, is on the ground floor. Further, Infinite Frames has complete home automation, including centralized air-conditioning.

A spectacle of brick, marble, wood and metal plays out from the mezzanine above the living area.

The material and colour palettes

Polished wood and high-gloss stone surfaces are juxtaposed against the exposed brickwork and RCC combination. Infinite Frames’ public spaces have been accessorised with autumnal-toned furniture in conjunction with earth-coloured ones. Meanwhile, the private areas show-off a colour palette combining bright, warm, and cool shades, expressed by a variety of imported Italian furniture, wall claddings, and paint work.

The cosy dining area, dominated by the tasseled chandelier, is part of the larger kitchen space.

The challenges

Two main issues that needed to be worked out with diligence and priority were: placement of the elevators and visibility of the exposed building materials. “We had to look at the placement of the lift and use the spaces around it in an efficient way to avoid any wastage. Also, the challenge for us was to be raw with exposed material. The client did not want any eye-catching offset of any beam-column,” says Tejas.

This bedroom on the third floor has a porthole overlooking the adjacent terrace.

The favourite space

Almost sculptural in its finesse, the wood and metal staircase wins hands down as the focal point of the double-height drawing room. “For us, the most beloved part of this project is the hallway and the staircase area. There are two different staircases from the ground to the first floor, aiming to create a real piece of art. To create this, we only combined several natural materials that are complex in their union, but also gathered contractors who had to think like artists,” says Tejas Mistry.

Fact file

Project: Infinite Frames
Location: Surat
Area: 2,350 sq ft
Principal architect: Tejas Mistry
Design team: Harsh Jariwala, Kalpesh Chotaliya, Piyush Pancholi and Nirayu Upadhyay