The threshold between the past and present blur away in this Bengaluru guest house

Studio Skapa Architects transforms a derelict penthouse into a corporate guest house immersed in Tropical Modernism and Indian heritage.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Yash R Jain; courtesy Studio Skapa Architects

The brief

Corporate guest house The Heritage Sojourn Home is envisioned as a union of traditions and contemporary sensibilities. The design brief shared by the client placed an emphasis on inherent warmth that the home needed to be effortlessly synonymous with. “With homes, our core impetus is derived from working closely with the aspirations and vision of a family or an individual. This project inverted that approach entirely; we had to conceptualise a space that could resonate across a spectrum of inhabitants as it was intrinsically a guest residence created for an organisation,” shares Charita Kishore, principal architect, Studio Skapa Architects. Additionally, the client’s focus on achieving a Vaastu-compliant layout had to be addressed thoroughly while keeping the end-user’s comfort at the forefront.

The design intent

While designing the sumptuous two-floored private penthouse’s expanse, the driving inclination was to meld familial comfort and wilful escapism that one experiences over a rejuvenating getaway. A marriage between the ideas of creating a home away from home and a retreat of sorts.

The material palette

The abode explores traditional building materials that have dotted the age-old bungalows and dwellings over the decades: the prevalence of woven rattan furniture, bold oxide-washed surfaces, and terrazzo-clad floors are vernacular elements that the mind associates with vignettes from ancestral homes. “A preliminary exchange of thoughts while ideating revealed the client’s penchant for terrazzo and their keen focus on wanting it as a focal material in the design scheme of the residence,” says Charita. While the material eventually formed a leitmotif in the home’s communal spaces, the ambition was to use it diversely, creating a meandering and dynamic milieu across the areas it traverses. The humble and enduring grey terrazzo floor embedded with white mosaic chips was given a facelift with the inclusion of a geometric brass inlay pattern depicting an abstract four-leaf clover.

The furniture ensemble

The clients’ personal collection of furniture acquired over the years, was spruced with a little woodworking, reupholstering and repolishing, creating a blend between antiques and newly crafted additions. Most pieces were rendered by adhering to a binding geometry of soft and curved silhouettes. he sofa and armchairs were refurbished to their former glory, while the pentagonal-top end tables and retro-chic pivoting magazine stand were sourced from the artisanal furniture-dotted boutiques of Pondicherry.

The spatial flow

The petite foyer space, which sets the tone of the home, is entered via a bespoke antique door customised by Pondicherry-based Aurorachana. From here, the layout unfurls into a light-filled open-floor plan living cum dining space.

A statement wall installation created wholly in woven bamboo frames the living room. Abutting the living area and divided via an elevated threshold, the glass and metal-canopied deck presents itself as an extension of life indoors, truly epitomising the experience of indoor-outdoor living. The flooring is a composite of amber Jaisalmer stone with printed geometric tiles in sections, mimicking embedded rugs.

The inviting dining area features a live-edge wood table accompanied by a set of six umber teak and beige linen-upholstered chairs. A rattan-faced credenza borders the zone, revelling in the delicate patterned weaves. The capacious kitchen dons a bright mien with its subtle yet impactful interplay of hues and finishes. The sombreness of the exposed concrete floors is balanced with the rustic jade hue of backsplash tiles.

The connective spine of the residence, the staircase is a transformation that the studio felt was integral to the home’s design narrative. “The original staircase connecting the levels was visually bulky, made entirely in glossy black granite. We gutted the same out and reimagined the staircase as an architectural feature in tandem with the overruling design sensibility and materials underscoring the guesthouse. This transformation was a game-changer,” explains Studio Skapa Architects’ principal architect. Grey speckled terrazzo continues onto the risers while the treads are lined with deep-stained teakwood. The balustrades have been crafted in brass and the handrail in teak.

The bedrooms spread across The Heritage Sojourn Home have been designed with a penchant for a defining colour that grounds it while staying devoted to the palpable tapestry of design that pulses through the home. The materiality of these private spaces plays with an eclectic selection: tinted oxide, concrete, teakwood, brass and rattan create compelling compositions in which the formalisations of the bed occupies centerstage.