Eclectic Chic

A bare Ahmedabad apartment turns into a chic vision of black, white, grey and brown under the creative captaincy of 16th Avenue Interiors. 

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Photographix India; courtesy 16th Avenue Interiors

The brief

Aesthetically, the clients wanted something classy, yet opulent for their penthouse home. “We went for a design that mixed the time gone by and the trends of today,” Dimple Motiani and Meetali Mehta tell us. Another important requirement was that the two floors of the penthouse look like two different apartments. 

The design intent

“We wanted the design to be evolved yet adaptive and to be able to stand the test of time. Right from how the space was visualized to material, art and decor selection, authenticity was important to us,” the duo tells us, adding that they didn’t want to stick to a particular design style for this home. “The idea was to merge and fuse various design languages, and to keep it fluid, transitional and functional. We chose a single element — a piece, a Wall or a Bed — to be the centrepiece and designed everything else to flow around it…” 

The material and colour palettes

The material board played with real timber carved into flutes, veneer polished in different finishes, textured glass, back painted glass, brass details and mild steel. When it comes to colour, “the project uses only black, white, greys and browns, accented in either gold or black,” reveal the designers.

The challenges

The core aesthetic direction which sought to mesh different design vocabularies presented its own challenges. “Fusing neo-classical stucco mouldings, for instance, with absolute modern elements, finishes and materials to create a distinct design language had to be carefully resolved, Also, there were areas that needed light colours without them looking subdued, boring or mundane. 

The highlight

“The terrace has got to be the highlight of the house,” exclaims the designer duo. “It features a pair of two life-sized galloping horses custom-cast to be the centrepieces — that’s how the project also gets its name as well! The rooftop also boasts of a wooden deck with a planter and a seating area, and an onyx table that lights up and becomes the best part of get-togethers hosted in the evenings.”

Fact file

Project: Penthouse of the Running Horses
Location: Ahmedabad
Area: 3,000 sq ft
Principal designers: Dimple Motiani and Meetali Mehta