A Personalised Pad

Studio Skapa Architects reinvigorate an old Bengaluru penthouse with a narrative that meshes colour, materials and the client’s cherished memorabilia.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Nayan Soni; courtesy Studio Skapa Architects

“A home should narrate a story of who you are and be a collection of all things one loves.” This is the brief the client gave Studio Skapa Architects when he tasked them with converting an old unusable penthouse into a “dream home” — a space for himself and a pad to entertain and host his friends. “The apartment was very old with a lot of dead spaces but had great potential to be turned into an upscale quirky yet homely bachelor pad,” says architect Charita Kishore.

“Our client was very involved in the design process from the very beginning and we upscaled and used the artefacts that he had collected over the years from his travels in our design intent.” The public zone — comprising the living, dining and kitchen — was articulated as a well-lit, well-ventilated open entity with different functionalities conversing with each other. The structural framework of beams which could be touched was clad in teak veneer. “This added so much depth and character to the space,” says the young architect.

The living room, featuring a custom-made mid-century modern dusty blue suede tufted sofa and teak centre table, is deliberately kept simple and modest to allow the clients’ cherished collection of artefacts and souvenirs to stand out. A compact four-seater wooden dining ensemble is positioned near a breakfast counter with its comfortable breakfast high stools with ergonomic back-rests. The counter, in turn, overlooks the kitchen, rendered with a playful sea-green tone. A linear arrangement with a working counter on one side and a breakfast counter on the opposite side makes it compact yet functional. By continuing the quartz of the counter up on the wall, the visual expression has been kept sleek and clean. The console near the kitchen entrance is a case of revival: the client’s possession was given a fresh lick of paint to match with the kitchen, a bit of polish, and now it serves as a quirky display point.

While a colour palette of white, blue and green infuses a Mediterranean vibe into the lower level, the upper storey is a much more intimate and personal space with lots of wood tones and warm colours. “The one thing that excited us most about our client was that he was not afraid to experiment with colours,” reveals Charita. “For the bar, which is on the upper level, we went with a gorgeous dark blush laminate combined with teak veneers. The colour was totally at odds with a ‘bachelor pad’, but it was exciting to go against a stereotype.”

The master bedroom, a long narrow space, is divided into two halves with a partition drywall that serves as the back of the sleeping area on one side and creates a boundary for the walk-in on the other side. A lovely shade of green used on the partition renders a soft and pleasing atmosphere. “On the bedroom side, a majestic hardwood four-poster bed with side tables was customised with hardwood sourced from our client’s estate,” Charita discloses. “While in the spacious walk-in, we installed a large mirror at the end of the two parallel wardrobes to create an illusion of a larger space.”

One bedroom was converted into a media/game room. Exposed brick and wood suffuse this space with warmth. “Like the rest of the house, this room is also composed of an eclectic mix of furniture,” says the architect. The wall between the room and the adjacent terrace was replaced by teak-framed sliding French doors that allow copious amounts of sunlight to enter into the space. The balcony itself was partially covered with Mangalore tiles to continue the rustic aesthetic. With lots of potted plants around, this space is a haven for some much-needed R&R at the end of the day.

All through the house, artefacts, memorabilia and souvenirs the client has collected over the years weave in a wonderfully personalised dimension, lending undeniable character to the narrative.