Arches and curves abound in this quirky Calicut apartment

Young design practice Studioarch+Partners crafts a refreshingly different narrative in this home.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Justin Sebastian; courtesy Studioarch+Partners

The site

The 1,350-sq-ft Calicut apartment is home to a small family of four: an engineer working in Russia, his wife and two teenage daughters. Having initially rented a flat in the complex and liked the community environment there, the family bought the adjacent apartment and literally shifted next door. The initial orientation of the apartment was very basic and enclosed. The planning failed to provide sufficient lighting for the kitchen and other common areas.

The brief

The brief was to create a home tailored to the lifestyle of the family — which was simple and minimal. Plus, the home had to use materials that were long-lasting, unique, as well as include an adequate amount of storage.

The re-programming

The idea being to create a free-flowing space, the first step was to establish a connection between the living, dining and kitchen. The kitchen had no proper ventilation and was locked inside a grid of the overall planning. However, the living room had quite a big balcony and good quality ventilation. “An open kitchen attached to the dining was a requirement put forth by the client as they intended the space to be one where families could eat together and casually catch up during the same. Since the client was willing to consider an open kitchen concept, it was easy for us to resolve these issues by demolishing the wall common to it and the dining area and use the light coming from the main balcony,” say architects Naufan Nazeer and Mohammed Ifthikar of young design practice Studioarch+Partners. “The wall was replaced by a curvy breakfast counter.” The tailor-made dining table is positioned to facilitate movement from the living area to the open kitchen through the dining area. The bedroom layouts now include a variety of storage units: from a small concealed small wardrobe to a full-length wall-to-wall system.

The aesthetic direction

The visual expression is dominated by solid colours and quirky curves. “The studio always loves to play and experiment with good colour schemes,” reveal its founders. “The family was very much up for the idea when we proposed a mix of tiffany blue and peach — though the shades are concluded by understanding the quality of light, finish of wood in the overall interior at site.” In the living room, arches inside the wood-panelled walls are enhanced with a minimal artwork in pastel tones — which acts as a backdrop for the dark leather sofa. The semi-private spaces are set in open format with accents from wall art and refreshing terrazzo flooring.

The bespoke value of the narrative is considerably high, owing to the practice’s enormous enthusiasm for product and furniture designing. “All the furniture is customised, each piece has its own character of colour, line and geometry. We tried to avoid sharp corners everywhere,” the young architects state.

The lighting

The material palette demands minimal lighting — which is effected with highlighters and adjustable lighting systems, giving appropriate lumen to break the monotony. “We selected lights with curves to balance with the overall geometry and colour palette of the apartment. Few lights — such as those for the dining and breakfast counter — are customised and installed at the site itself. The magnetic track light harmonises the lines of the ceiling to ensure the lighting pattern is even. “Natural lighting is an important factor for any space. Here. it has been managed by putting in a simple neutral sheer curtain which allows quality daylight to most of the spaces,” discloses the duo.

The challenges

For the architects, the material direction also represents the challenge in this assignment. “It took multiple stages to choose the terrazzo, the wall colour, the mosaic tiles and wood to be used for the interior,” they say. “We had to use 2 ft x 2 ft terrazzo tiles for the flooring instead of actual terrazzo because of logistical problems of getting the machinery to the tenth floor.”

The highlights

The project is an epitome of minimal aesthetics and right special orientation. The concept of arches and curves are built to connect vertical and linear surfaces to create harmony in the total interior. Customised wall artworks made by a talented artist stand in place of framed paintings. “Every space is designed by respecting the user’s lifestyle and emotions towards their home,” the architects point out.