A serene and stylish Gurgaon apartment

Navya and A Quarter creates an airy, open and calm environment through smart materiality and colour applications.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Palak Mittal; courtesy Navya and A Quarter

The brief

‘Home Uninterrupted’ is an unusual symphony of contemporary, classic, and calm. The house, which is home to a young family of four and their Labrador, offers a unique experience. The client’s brief was to design an airy space, uncluttered by furniture pieces, with plenty of room for the kids to play and enough space to accommodate their extensive collection of plants. “They also wanted to avoid a very formal atmosphere, so we opted for mixed-matched furniture pieces, different materials, and eclectic decor, all encapsulated in a room with textured surfaces to create a relaxed vibe,” says Navya Aggarwal of Navya and A Quarter, who designed this home along with team mate Bhavya Batra.

The materials

The main living spaces have walls, ceilings, and floors covered in a seamless micro-concrete finish, which is also the inspiration behind the residence’s name. The natural beige texture unifies all the surfaces, giving the house an organic yet industrial feel. The earthy tones and muddy surface texture, paired with brass elements, add a vernacular touch, while the stark black and minimal accents provide a contemporary flair.

The spatial flow

The entrance passage serves as a spatial introduction to the design narrative that unfolds within. It conveys the house’s vibe through seamless textures, with the only highlight — an organic two-part artwork commissioned to Art by Prityaanshi — following the tones and textures of the house. This corridor leads the way to the main living space.

The living and dining areas have an open plan that flows seamlessly into one another. One standout feature of the living room is the corner filled with plants of varying species, creating an almost jungle-like ambience around an old wooden carved chest. In the opposite corner, leather paper pendant lights by LxBxH hang above a brass console table, adding a soft glow to the space. Other elements include an upholstered curved sofa in a neutral palette, twin bucket chairs in cane, and a low-height wooden sofa with an open-fluted doweled back. The space is completed by a two-sided swing suspended from the ceiling, creating a visual separation between the living and dining areas without being obstructive. Ample sunlight that enters the rooms is filtered through linen curtains that blend into the textured walls.

The neutral palette continues in the master bedroom, where an organically shaped bed in wood and cane sits atop a black and beige patterned concrete floor. Terracotta-coloured side tables flank the bed, with a concrete pendant lamp hanging over one side. The room extends into a lounge space, designed with a restored TV unit and a re-upholstered L-shaped sofa that maintains the overall vibe. Two custom artworks hang over the sofa, continuing the story of texture.

The kids’ bedroom features a fun bed design in the shape of a hut. One wall is covered in custom-designed wall decals, scattered all over, depicting joyous scenes of the kids and their dog playing in the park, sleeping under a tree, and hula-hooping. Tucked away in one corner of the house, the guest bedroom displays a play of patterns with its black and beige concrete floor. Minimal and breezy, the brass and rose-tinted artworks add colour and vibrancy to the room. The library, located in the broad passage connecting the living area with the private spaces, is a space that will evolve and grow with the family’s travels and collection of memorabilia.

The challenge

“The project did not come without its challenges,” says Navya. “The dining table, a highlight of the room, is a thick slab of granite weighing approximately 200 kgs, ordered from a local artisan in Mahabalipuram. Unfortunately, it split in half during transportation and had to be re-joined on-site, mimicking the Kintsugi technique.

“The blend and contrast of old versus new are apparent in this house, and it reflects an ideology that we firmly believe in,” she adds. “However, this house takes a fresh approach to mixing vernacular and contemporary styles, with subtle nods to our culture.”