The Happy Switch and Soulful Spaces’ design for this contemporary 3BHK apartment includes the family’s heirloom furniture; and artefacts and souvenirs collected over the years from their travels.
Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Nathan; courtesy The Happy Switch and Soulful Spaces
The site
The Happy Switch, led by architects Maha Swetha and Ruchi Porwal, and designer Prithika Jose who heads Soulful Spaces, were invited to design a 1,600-square-foot apartment in Kochi for a family of four. The single-floor apartment comprised of a foyer, living-cum-dining space, kitchen, two balconies and three bedrooms with attached washrooms. No civil changes were made to the site.
The brief
The only brief the design team received was to incorporate the family’s heirloom furniture — that once belonged in their ancestral bungalow — into the design of the apartment.
The design intent
The apartment has both, an old-world charm and contemporary sensibilities. Having incorporated the design styles and sensibilities of all the four members of the family, what really stands out is how every detail in the apartment articulates the experiences, travels and stories of its inhabitants. “Just as every individual is born unique, we believe that each person’s home should showcase the exquisiteness of their lives, personalities and memories,” says Maha Swetha. “While we spend a great deal of time with clients to understand these different facets, we like to rummage through their cupboards, often discovering forgotten trinkets and knickknacks received as gifts or collected from different places. We consider our job as designers well done if we are able to unearth pieces of their history and make them tell the stories of their lives as you walk through their home,” adds Ruchi.
The spatial configuration
The original floor plan of the apartment envisaged a large open living-cum-dining space which was retained to maintain its spaciousness. Capitalising on the L-shaped living area, a wooden swing was introduced into the space. In the dining area, a three chair and three-seater wood-and-wicker bench was opted for the table — which not only added to the aesthetic appeal but also minimised spatial clutter in a tight space. Since the apartment is largely an empty nest, with the grown children living in other cities, each bedroom was designed to serve dual functions. While every bedroom has been furnished with tailor-made beds and side tables, the master bedroom also sees a foldable workstation; the second bedroom serves as a reading room with its large rosewood table and an heirloom planter’s chair; and the guest bedroom doubles up as an entertainment room. As the family needed a lot of storage space, the furniture layout and kitchen design was cleverly planned to maximise storage.
The colour and material palette
The living room is the most traditional part of the home, where most of the heirloom furniture and artefacts have been integrated into the layout. Rattan has been repeated across the furniture and lighting in the living-cum-dining room to help break the monotony of dark wood. A custom-ordered Pichwai painting from Rajasthan hangs on the living room wall beside large wooden blocks once used by Jaipur’s block printers. The master bedroom has an extra-large, Kantha embroidered headboard complemented by pastel upholstery in the same hues, and therefore the rest of the room is deliberately understated to balance out the colours. The second bedroom, which is also the reading room, has been designed with a subtle, earthy palette as it is largely used by the male member of the house. The reading room has classic colonial-style furniture juxtaposed with Egyptian papyrus wall art and a tropical-themed upholstery. The entertainment room is decorated in a classic-contemporary style, with a dark accent wall, a white panelled TV wall and modern wall prints. The lady of the house has a deep love for dark blue, so a blue and grey curtain fabric was weaved into the third bedroom, and the rest of the elements revolved around it. In a similar exercise, a Prussian blue quartz was the choice for the kitchen countertop and the cabinets (in off white) and the dado (ceramic tiles) balance this material and colour.
The highlights
“It is a tug-of-war between the old and new that rendered its soul to this apartment. Vintage measuring jars and storage containers, such as a ‘kuttakam‘, ‘idangazhi’, and ‘parra‘ have found a fresh purpose as planters and table decor in their new, urban environment. The ‘pathaayam’, a massive teakwood box that was traditionally used to store harvested rice, was altered into a magnificent kitchen cupboard. A small collection of the family’s trinkets and memorabilia, that were once hidden away inside cupboards, have now been showcased on the apartment walls and tables, proudly recounting countless stories and memories that the family holds close to their heart,” shares Prithika.
Fact file
Project: Project Kairali
Location: Kochi, Kerala
Area: 1,600 sq ft
Principal architects: Maha Swetha and Ruchi Porwal
Principal designer and stylist: Prithika Jose
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