A weekend home in Chennai that affords panoramic sea views

Architect Mahalakshmi Jegadeesh changes an awkward layout to incorporate light and liberation into an apartment.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Phosart Studio; courtesy Architect Mahalakshmi Jegadeesh

The site

The site was an apartment perched on the 9th floor of a building overlooking the bay of Bengal. The interior builder layout was quite cramped and did not do justice to the view. Internal partition walls which were meant to separate the spaces, were restricting the amount of free-flowing natural light.

The brief

“Our brief was to create a beautiful weekend getaway that was whimsical but still functional, where the family could put their feet up and relax, or throw their social hats on and entertain guests,” says architect Mahalakshmi Jegadeesh.

The design intent

“We wanted the entire apartment to be a free flowing space, without permanent partitions in the common areas,” reveals Mahalakshmi. “This way we could do justice to the beautiful views the site had to offer.” To this end, the team designed and created partitions in the form of sliding doors and fabric doors which could be used to close off spaces for a private gathering or be opened for a party. As soon as you enter the house, to the right of the foyer is the dining area. “We used mirrors on the dining wall to make the look larger and to reflect the light details on the ceiling.”

The civil intervention

The initial builder layout was a 4BHK apartment with a separate guest room next to the living area. “We broke open the wall dividing the guest bedroom and the living room to create a sliding wooden partition, which can be opened up as an extension of the living room or it can be closed off and be used as a lounging space or a separate bedroom,” says the architect. “We changed door positions so that every space in the apartment could enjoy the ocean views.” Moreover, the tiled flooring was replaced with marble; bathrooms were re-organized and re-tiled to make them more functional and aesthetically pleasing; and the floor-to-ceiling height was increased by re-doing the false ceiling. “We even changed the windows to new ones from what the builder had provided us with,” adds Mahalakshmi.

The material palette

The team chose a neutral colour palette of greys, whites, and black, with walnut accents for the common spaces. But to make sure it still felt like a home away from home, they brought in bright bursts of colour to the bedroom and private spaces. The public zone (living, dining, lounging and kitchen) was floored with grey marble, while the bedrooms used wooden tiles. All the furniture including the beds, consoles and mirrors were custom designed and executed with local carpenters. Most of the cabinetry (such as wardrobes in all rooms and kitchen cabinets) were finished in PU Paint.

The challenges

“The main challenge was in the layout of the apartment,” reveals Mahalakshmi. “We were very clear that every space had to have a view of the ocean, but while trying to plan this out we faced challenges in terms of the structural planning of the building. There were structural columns and beams which we couldn’t remove, so we had to plan smartly and allow them to blend into the design seamlessly.”

The highlights

The architect votes for the sliding door with veneer and mirror that partitions the formal living space from the informal lounging space.”It was designed with floor-to-ceiling handles in teakwood, which seamlessly blend into the design,” elucidates the architect. The second high point is the lounge space that functions as a day-bed or can be used for the night as well. “To conceal the bed from the living space, we designed an arched console in forest green. When the sliding doors are opened out, all you see is this funky console with in-built lights.”

The favourite aspect of the project

“Whenever we would go to site during the construction stage, our life saver from the Chennai heat was the beautiful breeze from the cross ventilation as the main door was always left open during the work hours,” reminisces Mahalakshmi. “We wanted to retain this breeze and allow the clients to enjoy the same when they were chilling in the living room. So we designed a safety door along with the main door. This is a metal door and the design was laser-cut so that privacy would be maintained even when the door was put to use.”