Colour me Brown

F+ S Designs crafts a modern home in Hyderabad where shades of brown takes centrestage.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Ishita Sitwala; courtesy F+S Designs

The site

The Cinnamon Home project designed by F+S Designs is a 3,000-sqaure-foot apartment located on the 34^th floor of a residential building in Hyderabad. This 4-BHK is flooded with warm sunlight, and its balconies look out to splendid surroundings.

The brief

The Cinnamon Home derives its name from the brief Faisal Vohra and Shamila Meeran, principal architects, F+S Designs received from their client — a contemporary space drenched in a palette of browns. “Homes exude the aspirations and dreams of the one’s making it, as well as the one’s designing. And when you get clients like Charitra Mehta and Aparna Mehta, you know you have found your perfect match to build a home that they will create memories in, for a long time to come. The journey of designing and making this house come alive has been a very special one for us. The warmth, generosity and encouragement we received from them was exceptional,” say the architects.

The design intent

The apartment is largely monotone with punctuations of brilliant colour combined with a play of distinct materiality that stands out while unifying a common theme. Further, all the furniture, accessories, lighting fixtures and artwork has been carefully curated and customised to deliver a cohesive upscale experience.

The design details

Once you step inside the house, at the foyer, a beautiful glossy ribbed metal console that reflects that colours around it meets your eye. It’s a great juxtaposition against the deep oak contemporary boiserie that camouflages the entrance to the powder room. The dining area and the casual lounging space with the balcony beyond is clad in La Velours wallpapers from Casamance that have a subtle interesting tactile feel, and complements the egg-shell hued veneer doors. The dining table is splendid — it has a crystal-art top paired with leather chairs making it a great combination with the dining console of the same finish. Suspended atop the dining table are the shimmering Tati Pendants designed by Arturo Alvarez. Bespoke art from F+S Foundry finds its place on top of the console along with an ivory sculpted stone table lamp. A bespoke contemporary swing has been positioned centrally between the dining setting and the balcony to facilitate members of the family to easily participate in a conversation whilst adopting various typologies of seating across the hall.

The living room is flooded with natural light streaming from the beautiful balcony attached to it. The angled architecture of the two gorgeous armchairs flank the luxurious curves of the sofa from Poliform. At the centre, an elegantly finished bronze coffee table adds visual weight and breaks the monotony with its circular form. Bridging the distance between the sofa and the arm chair are monolithic metallic side-tables. Suspended in the corner is the billowy stacked wood veneer Link pendant by Ray Power. The custom painting by Shamila Meeran from the F+S Foundry, in the background, ties the room together with its swirl of colours. A rug by Natuzzi completes the frame along with the luxuriant volume in the corner, a Raphis Palm.

Charcoal and cream white are the dominant colours in the son’s bedroom —  the charcoal band wraps from the west wall across to the east wall where it provides a backdrop for an interesting shelving system. Positioned asymmetrically between the two tones is the floating bed. A two-tiered taupe coloured shelving system hung by deep burgundy leather straps, a Cristina Croce designed Gemmy Prisma Lamp, abstract art from F+S Foundry, and a relaxing day-bed under the canopy of a Temple Tree are the highlights of this bedroom. In the master bedroom the walls are treated with the Louvre wallpaper by Armani Casa for its fine linearity and elegant grey. Complementing the set-up is bespoke art from the F+S Foundry. The Dream bed from Poliform in suede and leather finishes is the talking point of this room.

The lounge gets a deep oak treatment with a customised day bed for the clients who love to read while enjoying the panoramic vistas out of the window. A cushy deep sofa and sliding cocktail tables are apt for those relaxing evenings. An L-shaped work desk with suede wall panelling is also part of this room. The pooja room follows the contemporary theme like the rest of the apartment — folding doors open to a calm, uncluttered ambience refined by a marble and wallpaper backdrop. The door handles were customised by Studio Made, while all the accessories on the counter were crafted by Studio Trataka.

The material palette

In terms of materials, walls in the main area have been treated with European brown wallpapers that evoke a tactile feel on touch, and go elegantly well with the veneer treated in a nude polish. In areas of accent pieces such as the lustrous console table on entering, the opposite wall has a contemporary boiserie in matte deep oak… an antithesis to the console. Rugs provide warmth and visual gravity against the polished cold marble floor. In more intimate settings such as the master bedroom, the treatment is restrained and elegant. Luxurious wallpapers in grey hues meet soft white walls, which are in turn contrasted by a beautiful upholstered bed in suede. The lounge gets a monolithic grey treatment on the walls, while the ceiling is contrasted by a deep dark oak finish. The finishes and materiality of all the furniture was taken into consideration while laying out the scheme of the entire home — glossy surfaces are married alongside matte finishes, fabrics that pronounce the atmosphere of a room, and leathers and suede enhance the experience. The entire house sees luscious green plantations in all the areas, creating charming and refreshing settings.

Fact File

Project: The Cinnamon Home
Location: Hyderabad
Area: 3,000 sq ft
Principal architects: Faisal Vohra and Shamila Meeran
Design team: Keerthana Meruva, MA Jaleel and Sadhvika V
PMC: Sanjeevitha Bhagwat
Styling: Shruti Rastogi