A light-filled, richly detailed Bengaluru home

Young design studio ma+rs liberate spaces and create vistas in this two-decade year old apartment.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Ishita Sitwala; courtesy ma+rs

The site

The apartment was a two-decade-old 1,281-sq-ft space in the heart of Bengaluru city overlooking the Ulsoor lake and fringed by lush green defence land towards the rear. While it was spacious, the footprint was compartmentalised. Since it did not have an unobstructed flow of spaces, the interior environment was dimly lit. 

The brief

“In our very first discussion with the clients (a textile designer and her entrepreneur husband), they helped us understand with distinct clarity the sense of the home they were looking to create — which was a conscious, warm and simple home with abundant use of natural materials and an earthy palette. They were looking to convert a rather cramped three-bedroom apartment into an open and bright two-bedroom + studio setup,” disclose architects Anisha Menon, Sabyasachi Routray, founders, ma+rs.

The architects knew tearing down some of the walls and opening out the spaces would help get in abundant natural light —which would, in turn, uplift the quality of the spaces almost instantly. The primary idea was to create a comfortable, calm and thoughtful space responding to the needs and lifestyle of the people living in it. 

The design intent

Humility was the central idea, with respect to space, materials, finishes and furniture, all tied together seamlessly with elements of Indian craftsmanship.

The civil intervention

Opening up the existing kitchen completely helped to bring in natural light from a small balcony that is connected to the living space. This, in turn, resulted in an open living plan. To create the studio space, the design reconfigured the bedroom adjacent to the living which had a large private balcony. The studio is separated from the living dining physically with a teak wood and glass partition with folding doors. Creating an open living plan filled up the space with ample natural light and also established a clear visual connection to the greenery outside at all times when in the living, dining and kitchen. “When we first visited the apartment, it was a dimly lit space since the living and dining windows were facing north,” reminisces the duo. “The idea of opening up the walls on the east and adding windows/increasing the size of the windows added the much-needed openness and brightness to the space. This was a major intervention.”

The spatial configuration

The visitor is welcomed into the house by a small foyer space. Turn left from here, and you enter a small corridor leading to the living area. Just before you reach the living room, is the doorway leading to the guest bedroom and bathroom on the left. The living-dining is a linear space with a small balcony attached almost at the centre to the left. The kitchen is tucked on the right, along with a small utility space. Walking straight from the living to dining leads one to the studio space, with its private L-shaped attached balcony. Turning right, just before the studio, leads you to the master bedroom and attached bathroom. 

The material palette

The existing white Indian marble flooring has been retained and repolished. “The flooring has been kept constant in most areas so as to create a feeling of seamlessly traversing through the space, unifying the apartment and creating a muted base for all the other elements and materials to counterbalance,” point out Anisha and Sabyasachi. The walls are primarily white with accents of smooth cement-finish plaster in some areas. Extensive use of teak wood and rattan adds warmth. Brass accents, hardware and lights add a touch of indulgence to the otherwise grounded palette. “The kitchen, which has sage green PU-finish cabinets, adds a pop of colour to the overall space. It also complements well with the white, teak wood and concrete finish. This is our favourite space in this project,” smile the architects. 

The takeaway

All the other colours, patterns and textures come from the upholstery, fabrics and other soft furnishings, artefacts, artwork and the people themselves. “Since this was a home for a textile designer, we knew the importance of fabrics in her scheme of things,” Anisha and Sabyasachi tell us, adding that they learnt a lot about fabrics, textiles, patterns and processes in textile in this project. “Keeping the space understated worked beautifully to offset all the various textures and patterns we brought in along with her in the form of fabrics.”

Fact file

Project: Home on Kensington Road
Location: Bengaluru
Area: 1,281 sq ft
Principal architects: Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray
Design team: Indulekha Paul