Green Views

Hallmarked by simplicity, a certain gentleness and luscious views of a neighbouring gulmohar grove, this 1,600-sq-ft apartment designed by LADLAB will definitely make you go green with envy!

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Yash Katariya, courtesy LADLAB

Architects Sagar Lohar and Saniya Jejani

The site 

The soul of this house is its location, a rare find in an urban context. The top floor apartment is placed right next to a beautiful gulmohar grove, with balconies and rooms opening up to gorgeous views of dense canopies and, come summer, a flamboyant display of orange-red flowers. When Sagar Lohar and Saniya Jejani, principal architects at  LADLAB were handed over the site, it was a shell structure of columns, beams and slab, “which helped us design every aspect of the project from scratch,” they say. “This house offered spacious balconies overlooking the grove, and it was one of the reasons the client bought this property.”

The brief

In the first meeting itself, the clients (a family of four) clearly indicated a preference for a contemporary, low-maintenance house that would strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality. “Designing a simple and functional home that is aesthetically appealing is more challenging than designing an ornate house that follows market trends,” the architect duo tells us. “They expected common spaces to be fresh and airy, and bedrooms to be warm and cosy.”

Colours define rooms. Here, a bright turquoise sofa rules the space. The coffee table set is an example of the high degree of customisation in this project. It changes its shape according to the requirement and exudes an interesting mix of cold and warm vibes owing to the Italian marble and teakwood that have gone in its making.

The design intent and the spatial flow

The architects’ motivation was to design interesting spaces considering the human experience and not follow a typical design direction. The living, dining and kitchen areas form a partition-free common area in the center, with bedrooms deployed on either side. “The furniture layout was carefully planned considering the circulation strategies between common areas, service areas and bedrooms. A clean and linear design language binds these spaces together to create a cohesive environment,” they reveal.

Satiating green views are constant companions to a life in this house.

The colour and material palettes

The visual expression is ruled by colour: atypical selections along with ample natural light give every space a character of its own. From the turquoise blue sofa to a forest green kitchen; from a pastel pink dining area to an emerald green study area, colours become identifiers of different functionalities. Balconies are treated with textured granite, stone and wooden ceiling — natural materials which connect the outside to the inside. “The clients being plant lovers, all the balconies are provided with customized teakwood planters,” Sagar and Saniya tell us, adding that the family wanted the balconies to be treated as good as other habitable spaces in the house. Wooden flooring and blackout curtains in the primary bedrooms achieve the desired vibe of warmth and cosiness. A dash of gold has been added to the material palette to elegantly glam up the space.

A window seat with built-in storage in the compact guest room provides a glimpse of the surrounding verdure as well as maximises space utilisation.

The challenge

The clients had a very specific budget and time frame in their minds. “Adhering to these parameters were challenging,” the young architects state, “but innovative solutions, adaptable material palettes and a creative aesthetic approach have helped us achieve the right equilibrium between client’s expectations and our aspirations.”

Fact file

Project: House by the Grove
Location: Nashik
Area: 1,600 sq ft
Principal architects: Sagar Lohar and Saniya Jejani
Bed styling: Salonee Thakre