LADLAB took inspiration from a gentle breeze on a hot summer afternoon while designing this home.
Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Yadnyesh Joshi; courtesy LADLAB
The site
The subject of the design exercise was a 3BHK apartment on 5th floor of a road-facing society in Ramdaspeth, Nagpur. The team was offered a shell structure of columns, beams and slab, which enabled them to design every aspect of the project from scratch.
The brief
The brief was to design a minimal, contemporary and easy-on-maintenance home for the elderly couple growing old by themselves in Nagpur.
The design intent
“Having grown up and experienced the sweltering summer heat in Nagpur,” reveal Saniya Jejani and Sagar Lohar LADLAB’s principal architects, “we took inspiration from a simple but powerful thought — a gentle breeze on a hot summer day — to design a calm and composed home.”
The colour and material palettes
The central idea was articulated through a minimal aesthetic coloured with gentle pastels. A pale blue to speak about the joyful comfort of the April showers. The pink, deep purples and olives to represent the Indian springs before the heat kicks in. Natural veneers with their honed surfaces to bring warmth to the space and lots of white to balance the warmth. “Designing a simple and functional home that is aesthetically appealing is much more challenging than designing an ornate house that emphasises more on following ongoing market trends,” reminisces the duo about their experience of designing this apartment.
The spatial flow
A custom-made white shoe storage is paired with the tall brown tinted mirror-cladded panel in the entrance foyer. A three-globe branched chandelier from Home Artisan forms a canopy of ambient light over the entryway. The main door is clad in veneer with a custom-designed handle in solid wood to camouflage with the door ribs.
The generously proportioned living area is enhanced by morning light slicing through the tall windows. Smooth grey-tiled flooring is used across the entire house to make it feel expansive. A pair of bespoke 2.5-seater sofas and a wide armchair with plush velvet upholstery in shades of lilac and olive green represent early summer blooms. Customised side tables in black powder-coated MS provide the neat contrast. The cosy living space is juxtaposed with clay panels on the TV wall.
The small portal-like passage that connects the living room to the master bed, kitchen and reading room is surfaced with veneer with matching teakwood beading for a warmer, cosier feel.
The kitchen features cabinetry with recessed handles finished with satin-matte PU. White painted subway tiles and a white Kalinga quartz countertop create a perfect combination.
The master bed is designed with neutral colours and clean lines to keep it minimal. The bed and night stands are set against a grooved wooden panel with bespoke brass lights. A study desk overlooks a green avenue, and its chair doubles up as a lounger to lay back and enjoy beautiful sunsets.
A classic blue defines the son’s bedroom. A bank of wardrobes conceals a toilet door, and thus creates a continuous coloured envelope. The round MS three-legged side tables have been custom-designed at the site and are powder coated in matte black. To prevent the blue walls creating monotony, a white ribbed wall panel and study table were designed for working from home. Ivory linen curtains create a sense of lightness in the room and loosen the tightness in the room.
A dedicated reading room, which doubles up as a guest bedroom, is dressed in seamless grey vitrified tiles and soft white walls. Storage created along its perimeter allows the fairly small room to feel expansive. Within a niche of the panelled storage, a salmon pink colored upholstery single bed is tucked for comfortable movement within the room.
The challenges
“The clients had specific requirements and the space available was limited,” the architects tell us. “Adhering to these parameters was challenging. However, innovative solutions, adaptable material palettes and creative aesthetic approach helped us achieve the right equilibrium between client’s expectations and our aspirations.”
Fact file
Project: Song of Summer
Location: Nagpur
Area: 1,200 sq ft
Principal architects: Saniya Jejani and Sagar Lohar
Design team: Saniya Jejani, Sagar Lohar, Alifiya Ghadiyali and Bhumika Jejani
Styling: Saniya Jejani
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