A Mellifluous Melange

Openideas create a show-stopper of an apartment in Surat by painstakingly curating furniture, art and accessories, and creating tasteful juxtapositions within a texture-rich shell.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Ishita Sitwala; courtesy Openideas 

Re-sculpting the space of the erstwhile 7BHK apartment to a 4BHK one engenders an expansive feel. The public area is seamless, with the living room flowing into the dining area.

The brief

This was to be home to a purveyor on international furniture, his wife and two young children. Italy was a favourite stomping ground, and the European aesthetics, he found, resonated greatly with him. “The client asked us to create an environment that could serve as a showcase for the different brands he was associated with in a setting with distinct western sensibilities,” reveals Monarch Champaneri, co-founder, Openideas. 

The design intent

While the fundamental objective was to present a curated mix of International brands, the architects wanted something more out of the space. “Treating it like a mere display with aesthetic, if soulless, juxtapositions was out of the question,” Monarch tell us. “Our aim was to create a narrative that would be characterful and memorable.” 

Pale shades allow the tasteful orchestration of furniture, art and accessories to stand out. Large canvases, propped casually against walls, adds a sense of effortless style.

The challenge

Given the multitude of options open to the architects in terms of interior elements, the task of curating was a painstaking one, requiring a lot of research. Then, this selection — which largely fell within the modern ambit — was meshed with vintage finds so that the space looked more ‘home’ and less ‘showplace’.

The civil intervention

The footprint of the 7BHK Surat apartment was appreciable, but even then the family desired a better sense of space. Therefore, three of the bedrooms were pulled down to create expansive areas and a family room. For instance, now the uninterrupted length of the public zone till the balcony is an appreciable 75 ft. An open kitchen serves as the heart of the home, allowing the lady of the house to be more connected to the proceedings and oversee the children’s activities. And the foyer and the puja area are sheathed in glass, to keep the sense of space intact.

The brick-lined ceiling and the contemporary chandeliers form a contrasting and compelling combination.

The visual vocabulary

“The idea of what this home would look like simmered with us and the client over a period of time,” reminisces the architect. “We made time for this project on business trips taken together — inspirations were taken note of, thoughts and imagery was pinned down for future reference. Arches were immediately sanctioned for the project. Elsewhere, we noticed expanses of slim exposed bricks that went wonderfully with the vintage flavour we wanted. Vaults was another form that was checked off in the list of desirables.”  The shell is rendered in pale, gentle shades, with the drama being enacted by the furniture and furnishings through bold forms and tactile textures. Art contributes to the theatrical effect — large canvases propped against the wall act as striking backdrops to tasteful arrangements.

In the master bedroom, a slim four-poster parcels the larger volume of the bedroom into more intimate proportions, creating a space-in-space feeling.

The material palette

Materiality had to be monitored carefully given that the lion’s share of the budget was being allocated to procuring the best of furniture and accessories (such as light fixtures) from the international markets. So while Statuario marble makes a milky, luminescent and veined presence in the public zone, the private areas are pragmatically clad in tiles that mimic marble. Walls largely are lined in painted MDF panels. The public area sees a series of brick-lined ceiling vaults. Most of the area rugs and carpets have been sourced from Jaipur Rugs. “Architects are often called upon to play a balancing act between what is good for the client and what is good for the project,” says Monarch. “In this case we’re quite glad there’s a happy confluence of the two.”

Fact file

Project: Polyphonic Apartment
Location: Surat
Area: 6,000 sq ft
Principal architects: Monarch Champaneri, Niralee Champaneri and Nilesh Gajera