Something Old, Something New

This apartment renovation project undertaken by Navya Aggarwal-led Navya and a Quarter in a Gurgaon complex creates a playful, elegant home — a delightful confluence of old and new — for the three generations that inhabit it.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Rohan Dayal, courtesy Navya And A Quarter

The project

A home for three generations, each with their unique perspective and personalities, tied together with new and old pieces of decor and furniture.

The site and brief

The existing space was just like any other 100+ apartments built in the Gurgaon complex. “The first time we saw the space, it was dimly lit and conventionally planned with pale-yellow walls,” reveals Navya Aggarwal of interior design studio Navya And A Quarter. The client wanted a home that felt lived in, easy and personalized. They owned many pieces that were passed down through generations and wanted to retain them while adding elements of modernism through the house. “As designers, we always wish to create and make something new. For this project with a lot of pre-owned pieces, it felt like extending the life of a piece and seeing the process of refurbishment in a whole new light.”

An old cabinet, given a fresh coat of paint, makes a delightful composition with the brick wall.

The design intent

Unlike many other projects the studio has completed, this one had a more DIY approach with an ongoing design process. “Renovation projects always push you to think harder, be more creative since they are equal parts old and new,” says Navya. “We fell in love with certain colours and built further around those.” The idea, she adds, was to ensure that each room would be comfortable and inviting. This was articulated through a mix of vintage forms painted in blues, greens, greys or whites.

A large glass-topped terracotta urn forms an unconventional side table.

The spatial flow and visual vocabulary

The living area is located in the centre of the house, a cheery space with soft pops of colour and handcrafted objects, energised by natural light that floods in from two opposite ends of the room. On both ends of the three-seater sofa, are painted mud pots that function as table bases. In front of the sofa is a refurbished ancestral cabinet standing against a brick wall. Each bedroom has a unique colour story, tied together by pale blue doors. The extensive use of geometry — whether colour blocks or wall mouldings — adds to the English feel. At the centrestage of the narrative of each room lies an emotive composition: memoirs displayed on side tables, artworks that hang above the nightstand or the reading corner of the room.

The colour story in the bedroom revolves around pastels. All doors, however, are painted a pale blue to tie them together.

The material and colour palettes

“Since a lot of the furniture was preowned, we worked more with colours than materials,” Navya elucidates. “We chose to limit the look of wood that makes pieces look dated, and instead opted for a pastel colour palette. Each room has its own identity that sprung from the colour story.”

Geometric patterns appear like a leitmotif through the house.

The challenges

Designing with existing pieces, with their size and form, posed the main challenge. To overcome this, the team sometimes repurposed the piece by changing its function. Unconventional placement of furniture was another solution. “We did it with the bar that’s arranged perpendicularly to the wall instead of being positioned along it.”

Fact file

Project: Home of Collectibles
Location: Gurugram
Area: 2,100 sq ft
Principal designer: Navya Aggarwal
Design team: Asawari Bora