Radhika Utpat Studio take a sculptural approach to designing this Pune apartment

Art takes centerstage with hand-crafted artworks, curated pieces and custom-designed furniture.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Prashant Bhat

The site

Situated within the prestigious area of Koregaon Park Annexe, Pune, this residential site showcases a bright and expansive flat nestled within an upscale gated community. The house is replete with fully equipped appliances, automation, and all interior finishes provided by the builder.

The brief

“When the client approached us, they wished to retain all the existing interior finishes, while simultaneously yearning for a space that would truly embody their individuality and personal preferences,” explains Radhika Utpat whose eponymous studio was entrusted with this assignment. The architect’s vision encompassed a warm and bespoke environment meticulously tailored to meet the client’s personal sensibilities and taste in understated luxury.

The design intent

To overcome the challenges presented in the design brief, a strategic approach was taken to restructure the common spaces through small but impactful interventions. Transformative design choices such as defining spatial structure through highlighting walls and creating sculptural design elements to create focal points were given greater attention, maximising the visual impact within the limitation of minimal alterations. Furniture pieces were designed as sculptural functional art elements, creating an interplay of forms and textures, while providing distinct identities to individual spaces. These design choices transformed the space into a spatially structured, artistic, and elegant space while still exuding comfort and warmth of a personalised home.

The spatial flow

An expansive open space that stretches from the entrance to the common area, called for definition and purpose. To address this, a central axis was created in the form of a seemingly monolithic wall, originating from the entrance lift-lobby, and extending through the living room, into the family room, providing spatial structure and forming the heart of the home. A customised runner was added to the floor to accentuate this axis. An equilibrium was sought between the glossy, cool-toned white-grey Carrara marble flooring and the rustic finish of the terracotta-coloured lime-plaster, creating a harmonious interplay of textures. This wall, adorned with projections and grooves and finished in earth tones, infused the heart of the home with an earthy grounded sensibility.

Perpendicular to this axis, multiple focal points were created revealing the space in layers. The perpendicular wall separating the semi-private living room and the private bedrooms is treated with a hand-combed plaster and grey paint, thus highlighting a spatial threshold. This deliberate arrangement of walls forms two intersecting lines contributing to spatial organisation. A sleek black metal display unit creates a sense of privacy for the family room space.

In the living area, two intimate seating clusters emerge, encircling a captivating ensemble of marble and metal coffee tables, adorned with fragmented semi-circular forms. A vibrant interplay of playful colours breathes life into the design, utilising coloured marble and patterns to create an alluring visual tapestry. Adorning the textured grey wall, sculptural geometric artworks, conceived by the interior designer, pay homage to sacred Hindu geometry.

The seating arrangements feature sleek grey sofas harmoniously paired with sculptural chairs on either side, elegantly connected by a supple leather bench. Neutral hues of brown, grey, and white gracefully integrate with the existing flooring and terracotta wall, while the inclusion of black, white, green, and red marble accents adds a captivating contrast and complements the overall palette.

The dining ensemble features a black marble-topped dining table, encircled by elegant Tobias Scarpa chairs. Against the backdrop of the combed textured grey wall, adorned with sculptural artworks, a clean and modern chandelier illuminates the space, enhancing the minimalist aesthetic of the furniture pieces.

The captivating presence of the terracotta wall continues in the family room, where a geometric patterned rug and a striking red artwork amplify its warm allure. A bespoke sofa, merging with Indian divan influences, provides a relaxing lounging setup. Seamlessly integrated within the sofa, an inbuilt coffee table ensures a clutter-free and serene space.

In this carefully curated setting, the fusion of textures, colours, and sculptural elements are in harmony, creating an atmosphere of refined elegance and artistic contemplation. The space becomes a sanctuary, inviting relaxation and captivating the senses with its thoughtful design choices.

The vision for the son’s room was to create a space that exudes an effortless sense of clean minimalism. Embracing a brutalist approach, the room unfolds with clean lines and a sculptural sensibility that permeates the furniture arrangement. Each element of furniture — the bed, sofa, desk, and shelf — is created as a fragmented sculptural piece, showcasing an architectural aesthetic. To further enhance the elevated industrial allure, a natural Corten-steel finish is applied to the furniture. The custom-designed lighting fixtures, boasting a sleek contrasted black aesthetic, form a cohesive family of elements that elegantly complement the overall monochromatic atmosphere. These meticulously crafted lighting pieces add a touch of refined sophistication to the space.

The guest bedroom is inspired by the serene philosophy of wabi-sabi. Natural materials celebrated for their tactile qualities, along with colours, and textured essence, assume the leading roles within this sanctuary. A textured taupe wall serves as a backdrop, accentuating the presence of the upholstered ivory bed framed within the wooden headboard. Side-tables and pedestals, resembling monolithic structures, carved from solid blocks of acacia wood in angular forms.

The master bedroom embodies an artful exploration of abstracted architectural forms seamlessly translated into an enchanting interior space. The design draws inspiration from the ruins of Hampi. The column grid patterns gracefully intertwine, providing the underlying structure that unifies the four-poster bed, side tables, console, pedestal, and coffee tables into a harmonious composition. Meticulously fashioned from white ash wood, these black-stained columns are expertly chiselled, imbuing them with intricate abstract textures that pay homage to the imperfect elegance of ancient stone pillars. Sleek brass sheets and sections adorn the framework and form the tabletops of the four-poster bed.

As the sculptural forms take centerstage, the room embraces artful elements and accessories drawn from nature’s resplendent palette, featuring natural sap greens and earthy browns. Textured green wall art gracefully envelops the walls, while ceramic pieces adorned with delicate botanical imprints create moments of visual intrigue. Carved from Indian forest green marble, the side tables, casting a mesmerising glow. Earthy terracotta tones, meticulously curated from antique treasures, seamlessly blend with an abstract rug, infusing the space with warmth and character.

The home office space revolves around three captivating sculptural pieces, each boasting fluid forms: an elegant ivory and black arched cabinet, a sophisticated black desk with custom woodwork, and a graceful serpentine sofa. These organic furniture pieces, with their graceful contours, create a striking juxtaposition against a sleek metal bookshelf characterised by clean grid lines. The bookshelf is embellished with dividers crafted from natural stones, introducing a captivating layer of visual textures. Complementing this interplay of forms and textures is a plush woollen rug, adorned in neutral tones.

The material palette

“We lay emphasis on tactility and textures of natural materials—which lent warmth as well as an understated luxury to the smaller details,” says Radhika. Natural marbles, solid wood, lime-plasters, hand-combed plasters and textured fabrics were used liberally to create an immersive environment. A chromatic foundation of ivory, black, and terracotta was used throughout the home. As one moves from one area to another, new materials are added and subtracted to this palette to suit each individual space.

The challenges

“The fundamental challenge was to design within the framework of the existing material palette and finishes, including the wallpapers, paints, flooring, false ceiling, and lighting locations. This necessitated thoughtful integration of the existing elements into the overall design scheme, in a manner that seamlessly blended these elements with the envisioned aesthetic. Each on-site change was meticulously strategized to ensure maximum transformative impact on the space. “The quiet luxury of smaller details suffused with personal meaning and sensibilities takes the project from merely beautiful to something more – a place with gravitas, character and meaning,” concludes the architect.