A Beautiful Blend

AR Associates design a beautiful private getaway near Aurangabad blending two experiences — modern contemporary and rustic — into one narrative united by a sprawling landscape.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Photographix India; courtesy AR Associates

Those who like traditional living will delight in the rustic cottage with mangalore tiles and pitched roofs. This forms the second part of the home.

The brief

The bungalow, a sprawling farmhouse in Kasabkheda (near Ellora), Aurangabad, was to be built keeping in mind the Vaastu guidelines, in addition to the functionality and aspirations of the family. One thing the client was particularly keen on was to bring the harmony of nature into their lifestyle. Thus, the project became an exercise in uniting nature and luxurious living. “The design closely engages with the green environment to iron out the fatigue of a modern lifestyle and render it with a breath of freshness,” explain architects Ritesh Badjate and Arun Shirsath of AR Associates. “We translated the client’s brief into the reality of a holiday home that is spacious in size and by the virtue of its planning, helps the family bond together.”

With twenty two thousand square feet of landscaped grounds, you can find plenty of restorative spots like this one in this weekend home.

The landscape

Given the fact that this was a second home, the activity of unwinding became crucial — and what better balm than nature for city-frayed nerves! The landscape — all 22,000 sq ft of it — became the focus of the design, and was treated as an important part of the living environment. Its expression is gentle and organic. For instance, a pod-like gazebo, cocooning in its shape, sits next to a sinuous waterbody. A tiny group of fountains weaves in a tinkling water sound that soothes the ears. Islands of furniture, deployed under dense tree canopies, provide multiple spots for relaxation and rejuvenation. All these work together to establish the languid pace of a vacay-home. 

Double-height spaces and large windows talk about grace of scale and a nature-oriented design. The bonsai centrepiece gets the green story outside indoors.

The built programme

Interestingly, this farmhouse is actually two: a crisp contemporary villa geared for modern sensibilities and a separate traditional home complete with pitched roofs and Mangalore tiles. The former features a double-height living room with glazed windows that, besides allowing copious natural light to flow in, connect the interiors with the natural beauty outside as well. Multiple indoor recreation options complement the vast outdoor relaxation choices. For example, a pool table installed near the open dining works as a perfect leisure space to enjoy gaming and food, while the home theatre establishes the ideal ambience to bond with family and stretch a leg over movies and popcorn. Enjoying meals surrounded by nature on the open terrace of the farmhouse is one of its key attractions. The deck with its natural wooden flooring bonds with the vast landscape outside. The rustic sibling of the modern building possesses its own charm with cheery yellow walls, traditional wooden doors and courtyard planning.

Organic forms rule the visual aesthetic of this bedroom, rendering it with soft comfort.

The challenges

One of the aspects that needed careful resolution was keeping the mature tree existing on the site intact. “So the orchestration of spaces was mainly derived as a solution to this issue. Over and above this, we also had to ensure that the functionalities were meaningfully connected to each other,” the architect duo tells us. Another challenge was to put in maximum ‘green-ness’ in front of the main (modern) building, parallel to the pathway and visible from the parking area.

Fact file

Project: Aurangabad Farmhouse
Location: Kasabkheda, Aurangabad
Area: 6,000 sq ft (construction) and 22,000 sq ft (landscape)
Principal architects: Ritesh Badjate and Arun Shirsath
Design team: Sumant Chavan, Rachana Mahur, Tushari Lohade and Akashay Thorat
Landscape: Anup Debedwar (Innovate Design Associates)
Artists: Ganesh Chatri