This Ahmedabad villa delights with its richly detailed spatial narrative

Tvasttr Architects find inspiration in the land’s past while pursuing expressive modernity.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Nayan Soni; courtesy Tvasttr Architects

The site

Surrounded by decades-old mature trees, wide motorable roads, and the energy of a picturesque slice of urban Ahmedabad, the 10,500-sq-ft Roots to Roof Villa is an ode to the three-year journey the clients and studio have shared to achieve an immerse and bespoke dwelling.

The design intent

“This home has been conceived with an intriguing play of light, scale, and volume. A design exercise headlined by clean, modern, and luxury-driven details ensued, setting a timeless tone for the outside and inside,” share Shailja Patel and Shaarvin Patel of Tvasttr Architects. The built-form has been crafted to realise the client’s vision of a bespoke dwelling experience. Home to a reputed doctor-duo and their multigenerational household, the residence celebrates togetherness and the important space between togetherness, creating both, private havens and communal areas.

The built-form

The architecture of the villa resembles a painstakingly configured jigsaw: “extruded, projected, and assembled masterly to celebrate the alchemy of framed green views, daylight, and morphing scales,” says the architect duo.

The material palette

Marrying the worlds of refined and rugged finishes, the interiors and exteriors are reminiscent of the richness of the Indian landscape, endowing the spaces with a retinue of earthy, robust, and contemporary materials. “The three-levelled residence is moulded in travertine stone, exposed concrete, large, glazed volumes, and aluminium shading devices to regulate the sun’s passage indoors. Greenery and foliage have been reintroduced along the home’s edges,” elucidates Shailja. Inside, an eclectic parade of a variety of marbles, granite, wood, fluted glass and cane form the larger spatial framework overlaid by a bevy of luxe hard and soft furnishings.

A home tour

A sea of richly-veined, black marble poses as a welcoming carpet in the foyer. The fern-bearing stone planters rise as a pedestal, hosting a wing-formed sculpture in metal and marble, which nods to the home’s artisanal influences. On the other side, a hardscaped zen garden welcomes visitors while exuding a sense of tranquillity.

The formal drawing room exudes understated glamour, perfect for retreating and savouring conversations or piping tea with views of the gardens unfolding within arm’s-length. The fluted glass partition system lends the area required privacy while allowing light to sieve through in filtered doses. The muted sofa and armchairs pair immaculately with the Taurus black marble coffee table, crafted in situ. Aureate touches of the wall installation and gilded accents in furniture elevate the space’s grammar, making it a timeless haunt.

Donning the role of the heart of the residence, the living room, dining area, and kitchen have been imagined as a trio of open-plan spaces that urge the family to congregate and entertain. The regal living room is the home’s piece de resistance, its walls embedded with double-height fenestrations that frame the greens outside as a cluster of delicate vignettes. Matching this feature’s scale, the book-matched stone cladding presides over the conversation space with an ethereal aura. Warm tones unleash a grounded sentiment, with tints of rust, beige, and black concocting a melange of their own through the furniture and area rug by Jaipur Rugs. A bespoke chandelier in a gold finish underscores the opulence of the communal space. Sited at the intersection of the living and dry kitchen, the dining area initiates a seamless flow between these spaces while gazing into the alfresco deck. Serenading a homogeneous palette, the dry kitchen resembles a marble monolith, with a veins-laden variety traversing the floors and walls uninterruptedly. Along its periphery, the counters comprise 30-millimetre-thick exotic granite slabs, whereas the island constitutes two stone varieties with wood fluting beneath.

Featuring a species of palms, hearty doses of cane, and a plantation mural, the parent’s bedroom is a tropical-vintage sanctuary. Crowned by a sloping roof (a long-time whim of the inhabitants), the resting space comprises a dark metal and cane headboard woven intricately by local artisans.

A staircase, rendered in natural stone, connects the villa’s levels. The stairwell itself is punctuated with linear, slit windows, drawing in strobes of transfiguring daylight.

On the first level, the passageway creates an axial pathway leading to the resting quarters. Pinned by a lounge on one end, this circulation area assumes gallery-like dimensions owing to a marble console, an abstract painting, and a ribbed backdrop for interest.

Peering into the double-height communal spaces below, the lounge is a snug conversation area reserved for the family. The scale of window apertures allows anyone perched here to gaze into views of treetops. The blue sofas rest upon the geometric, beige rug, creating a striking visual against the charcoal marble floors.

The master bedroom is prefaced by a petite lounge, a space constituting organic-formed furniture, a neo-traditional carpet and a statement pendant. The bedroom boasts a California King, upholstered by a gently arched headboard. The ivory tones of the fabric feel alive against the veneer-sheathed wall, with brass inlay members tracing its length subtly.

The older daughter’s bedroom delivers on its promise of being a comforting oasis for its inhabitant, steeped in an interplay of luxury-reflecting materials and stated grandeur. With soft, northern light pervading the space, the room’s expansive canvas hosts a richly detailed resting area and study. A tufted bed sits anchored against a reflective membrane of black mirrors, laid out as a successive trail of stripped members. Bordering the bedroom’s entrance, a quaint study creates the perfect environment to read, work, and contemplate, defined by its tiered wood desk and vitrine-style bookcase.

“A playful escape into wonder, awe, and inspiration” is how the architects describe the impetus behind the younger daughter’s bedroom. A platform-style bed rests upon a marble pedestal to mark the space’s nucleus. It segues into a cosy study nook tucked behind the arched partition wall, expressing the child’s inclination towards vibrant hues! “One of the most beloved features is the enchanting forest-scape adorning the wardrobes fascia. The technique employs ceramic delicately printed over the glass, creating a lively scene that portrays the child’s awe of nature,” shares Shailja.

The second level is home to a series of recreational spaces: a multipurpose room that performs the dual function of a gym and a music room and a home cinema.