Modern and comfortable, this Chennai home designed by Studio Neon Attic showcases disparate design styles which includes art, collectibles and vintage pieces collected by the client over time.
Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Yash R Jain; courtesy Studio Neon Attic
The site
The Ocean Front Home, as the name suggests, is a sea-facing apartment in Chennai’s premium residential community, located in MRC Nagar. Architects Rambha Seth and Sripriya Ganesan of Studio Neon Attic — who were commissioned Shoba Natarajan to design this 3,500 sq ft apartment — received the house with basic electrical points and a bare shell. The house has a stunning 180-degree view of the Bay of Bengal, and a balcony that runs along the entire length of the house which is accessible from all the rooms through glass doors.
The civil intervention
As the apartment had precast concrete walls, and the electrical points were already in place, the architects could not chip the walls to accommodate charging and light points by the bedside table in the master bedroom. Hence, a floating pseudo wall was created to sit in front of the main wall with back lighting on the sides. A grey broad striped wallpaper was used to create a sense of juxtaposition against the plain main wall.
The brief
Shoba wanted a modern and comfortable home which does not conform to any specific aesthetic style, but bear a good eclectic blend that combined the best from around the world. As she is an avid traveller and has been collecting memorabilia from different parts of the world, she also wanted the architects to figure out how her collection could fit seamlessly into the design. “Right from the first meeting, where we discussed about our vision for the home, Shobha and our design wavelengths aligned. As a studio, Rambha and I both believe that good design comes as a result of meticulous detailing. For this, there needs to be a significant investment of time by the client and the studio to flesh out the brief even before we can begin the design work. Shoba was a pleasure to work with. Most of our discussions had to match her timings in the US, which meant that we would often be on calls late into the night. We had great fun during those discussions and felt we really got to know her personally. This really helped us suggest designs that gelled with her personality,” explains Sripriya.
The design intent
“Our primary objective was to evoke the sentiments of calmness and well-being in the space. There was an uninterrupted floor plate which acted as a blank canvas for us to explore and experiment creatively. We wanted to retain the sense of space and openness throughout the apartment,” says Sripriya. The design team consciously picked a colour palette which is reminiscent of the crisp summer breeze, and the endless bright sunshine that our coastlines are blessed with. Metallic greys, blues and cheery yellow drape the walls with accents in gold brought in through lighting. “Since the house receives a lot of fresh breeze, being close to the sea, we wanted to use large lanterns that sway gently during the day and look dramatic at night. Through the house, we’ve used oversized lanterns to create soft ambient lighting,” says Rambha. As Shoba has a good collection of vinyl records and wanted her TV room to feel like a den to relax and listen to some good music — ergonomic and comfortable furniture was tailor-made for this space.
The spatial flow
Enveloped in a glass shell framework, this 3,500 square-feet home, includes a large open plan living and dining area, an entertainment room, four bedrooms and a kitchen.
The design and material details
As you walk in, your eyes are drawn to the balcony and the spectacular view around. Light floods the space throughout the day due to the usage of light white sheer curtains. “Deliberate use of bold colours, wide material palette, clean lines, crisp finishes, and contrasting textures were used to create distinct spaces,” says Rambha. The wide material palette includes wood, micro concrete used for dining table top which ties in with the textured walls, blue focal elements and gold metallic accents. Gold metal, especially, has been used optimally as seen on the nested tables, side tables and on the lights in the room to brighten up the space. Mixing and matching different furniture design styles was essential to create an eclectic space with all the furniture being custom-made based on the client’s specific requirements for height.
The large decor pieces in the living room include Indonesian wood carvings in a natural wood and stained blue colour with a Marshall speaker in one corner. Meanwhile, a royal hand painted polychrome wooden tiger vahanam displaying the typical Bhuta style from the Kanara district of coastal Karnataka from the 19th century, with its signature use of colours; yellow, red, white and black predominantly sits on top of a cabinet on the other end. Smaller pieces include books, coffee table magazines collected from the client’s many travels. Ceramic animals along with pickle jars have been utilised too. A great number of art works, both paintings and digital prints have been incorporated into the space. An original Rabin Mondal hanging in the living room has special meaning to the client as it was gifted by her brother who is an avid art collector.
An eye-catching feature of this project is the hand-crafted voluminous fabric pendant light in the living space. The whimsical element of the living-dining space is a stunning dining built-in unit in a striking matte blue finish. The unit can be visually divided into three parts — a top panel that consists of three scone lights, a middle row with open shelves used for displaying home accessories, and the last row that has a closed storage for crockery, and houses a wine chiller as well. The large open shelf in the middle is painted gold to complement the gold lights and to break the monotony of the blue.
An eight seater dining table with a wooden base and micro-concrete table top was proposed to match the treatment of the walls and the cylindrical exposed structural column in the room. The dining bench ensures unobstructed views of the living room and balcony. “We experimented with micro-concrete for the table top and it needed loads of R&D; we had a lot of fun getting it just right” says Rambha. The stunning glass and metal Shikara Pendant light by Arjun Rathi, in its unconventional geometry and form crowns the dining table.
The home office strikes the perfect harmony between comfort and functionality. “We wanted to take advantage of the sunlight streaming into this room; and therefore designed a clean, bright and a visually light space finished in neutral shades with lot of wood in its natural form” says Sripriya. The main element of this formal study is the distinctive, fluted, curved work desk carved out of Kalimardhu wood, in natural finish. The work desk is paired with a comfortable swivel chair upholstered in soft grey velvet fabric.
Acting as a backdrop to this desk against a large wall is an open utilitarian home library shelf flaunting minimalistic aesthetics, with ample storage augmenting the flair of the space. A large mirror in a simple wooden frame is mounted behind the work desk. This reflection ensures the space looks bigger and brighter. The gold accents in this space are the table lamp, the swivel chaise base and the handles in the utilitarian shelf. A very personal space, this room houses the client’s souvenirs and family portraits.
The master suite was designed with the intention of making it feel like a relaxed retreat. A corner floor to ceiling window ensures this room is naturally well-lit during the day. This high bed, made in a Cairo walnut finish, upholstered with a bright orange headboard with brass button detailing is the dominant feature of this room. The subtle grey and white striped wallpaper and the simple, graceful wall light directs our attention to the majestic king size bed that is accompanied by two S-shaped side tables. A love seat, a dresser table and Hawaiian printed curtains constitute the various other textures in the room. The spacious wardrobes finished with muted grey shutters balances out the other bright colours in the room. The floral printed duvet cover and the loose gold and white cushions also lend more character to the room.
The highlights
“We designed a large PU pigmented built-in unit in the dining area that was the hallmark element of the home. The blue colour that we had chosen at the workshop seemed wonderfully apt, but when we sent the digital images to Shoba, it looked very different on the computer screen. Although she was quite skeptical, she trusted us and asked us to go ahead, only to be elated when she saw it in person,” adds Rambha.
Fact File
Project: Ocean Front Home
Client: Shoba Natarajan
Location: MRC Nagar, Chennai
Area: 3,500 sq ft
Principal architects: Rambha Seth and Sripriya Ganesan
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