Usine Studio brings contemporary design and the fine classical style together in this lavish Vadodara home.
Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Tejas Shah; courtesy Usine Studio
The brief
Project Shivom is a villa designed by Usine Studio in Vadodara. Surrounded by numerous old gulmohar and neem trees, the villa is part of a neighbourhood of independent bungalows. Through the many design discussions with the client, Yatin Kavaiya and Jiten Tosar, the principal designers of Usine Studio were able to come to an understanding of the design language of this expansive home — which was to be luxurious and to include some elements of classic ornate forms.
The design intent
Usine Studio’s style is largely contemporary, but in this project they’ve tried to break away from the minimalist design trend with straight lines, while introducing luxury through space planning. The final outcome is a marriage between ornate and contemporary design styles. Keeping in mind the client’s preference, Usine Studio used earthy and pastel tones and beautiful mid-century style furniture classics while designing this lavish home.
The spatial configurations
Designed for a family of four, this spacious home has an entrance foyer with a living room, library, pooja, kitchen, dining family room, powder room and a guest bedroom on the ground floor. The first floor contains bedrooms for the family members and an entertainment room.
The design and material details
A visitor enters the front garden of the bungalow after passing through a luxurious lobby space. The residential unit is flanked by a gardens at the front and back. The front garden lends a soft backdrop to the rather straight-lined clean forms and box-like massing of the architecture. The entrance foyer is a double-height entity with an impressive brass chandelier that prepares one for the voluminous space to unfold. A large wooden wall panel and an inlay pattern on the floor add to the grandness of the space.
The pooja room is placed at one end of the foyer along with a library which flaunts floor-to-ceiling shelves that display the owner’s collection of books. The bay window in the library doubles up as a seating ledge to enjoy a good book while staying connected to the greenery outside. The elegant formal living room with an extended patio is connected to the garden through floor-to-ceiling glass doors. This room is decorated with mid-century style furniture pieces and a commissioned artwork by a local artist. The passage acts as a spine of the house whilst segregating the public and private areas of the house.
The kitchen is practically designed with an island setting, while a cosy round table seating with a beautiful chandelier are highlights of the dining area. A table placed outside, close to the dining, allows the residents to enjoy the morning sun, and evening tea. The central part of the house is a double-height space with a wooden floating staircase juxtaposed with a patterned flooring to break away from the monotony of a single flooring running across the entire floor. The glass facade here offers view of the changing sky 24×7. To add to the charm of the double-height space, a blown glass chandelier from Studio Kanch was introduced here. It also accommodates an exhaust to release the warm air trapped in the house, and allow it to be cool naturally. Next to it is the family room which is a warm welcoming space with comfortable blue and beige sofas for a snug feel.
All the bedrooms are placed on the first floor of the house and are designed according to the design and functional requirements of the clients. The daughter’s room is designed with a soft pastel colour palette of white and light grey with a dash of copper in accent pieces. The ensuite bathroom don Moroccan tiles and has a luxurious linear vanity. The focal point here is the skylight which washes the white textured walls with sunlight, creating a bright and well lit space. The son’s room is dressed in grey and turquoise hues, and has a warm cherry hued wooden floor. The bathroom has a riveting mix of patterned onyx with blue tiles and an interesting mirror. The master bedroom is done in a minimalist fashion, a specific client requirement. The dressing area in this room is opulent in its use of space and materials and space. The entertainment room with an attached washroom on this floor breaks away from the common design language of the house and is done in materials like exposed brick, metal flooring and bold colours to achieve a rugged look.
Fact File
Project: Shivom
Location: Vadodara
Area: 12,000 sq ft
Principal designers: Yatin Kavaiya and Jiten Tosar
Design team: Nirali Bhakta and Chitra Sindhkar
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