This Vadodara villa showcases delicate material details

A+T Associates uses minimal materials to craft a contemporary and elegant look for the Nilamber Villa in Vadodara.

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Umang Shah; courtesy A+T Associates

The site

Spread across 5,000 sq ft, Nilamber Villa is part of an affluent gated community in Vadodara. Architects Archis Patel and Tanvi Rajpurohit, the founders of A+T Associates was approached by the client at an earlier stage — during the construction of the villa — to design the interiors of the villa. This allowed the architects to work on the spatial planning and suggest minor tweaks wherever possible.

The brief

The design team had many sessions with the clients to understand their personalities and design requirements. Thereafter, many discussions with the client were conducted to zero-in on the material palette and overall colour scheme for the residence. As the family loved the look of brass in interiors, a major requirement was to incorporate the material in the design of this residence.

The design intent

“The design philosophy was very simple — to craft a house where our clients would feel homely, as they wanted to spend more time at home. The interiors also reflect the personalities of its inhabitants. We mutually decided to go for a very elegant and contemporary look for Nilamber Villa. The client’s request for the usage of brass can be found in small details in some interior elements,” explain the architects.

The spatial configuration

The ground floor of this two floor villa has an entrance foyer which connects to a formal living room, and a passageway that leads to the family living room and dining area. The passageway also accommodates the staircase and lift. A covered courtyard space and garden also falls close to this passageway. The master bedroom is also placed on this floor. Additionally, an outdoor kitchen, a 2,500 sq ft of garden space with a waterbody, and the servants quarter is also part of the ground floor. On the first floor are two bedrooms suites with private balconies, a bedroom with an attached washroom, and a pooja room; while the second floor has a home theatre space with terrace garden, pantry and an attached powder toilet.

The design and material details

The entrance foyer is stunning, and highlights two design features — a wooden console unit made out of solid wood featuring hand carvings depicting a jungle story; and a wall art piece made out of solid brass. This wall art of a tribal lady wearing striking jewellery pieces is made in five different layers of brass plates and is set against the backdrop of a wooden panel.

The formal living room has a soft, minimal and tranquil look with a centre table and sofas from Tectona Grandis, carpet from Jaipur Rugs, upholstery and cushions from The Pure Concept, and a bespoke hanging light in brass. The architects wanted to create an experience for the family when they passed through the passageway leading to the other half of the floor. Hence, a bespoke brass chandelier which is approximately 11’-6” in length was designed for this space. The lift shaft placed here is ornamented with a nice motif pattern on all four sides.

The family living has a warm and cosy atmosphere created with a rocking chair from Tectona Grandis, a sofa from Bekomfort, cushions from Sarita Handa and rug from Jaipur Rugs. A bespoke wood and marble table with brass legs is also part of this ensemble. The dining area has a custom-made table featuring an Armani Italian marble top with solid wood pillars for legs. Green hued chairs complement the dining table. The kitchen was designed by Nolte, and is completely modular.

The highlight of the master bedroom is the bed back wall which displays brass inlay work on veneer. The other three bedrooms (on the first floor) are occupied by the two daughers and son; and are designed according to their needs and requirements. The younger daughter’s room has a earthy and raw look which is offset by a quirky florescent colour bed. The bedroom for the elder daughter is mature, and features classic colours, and hand-painted graphic art on its bed back. The son’s bedroom has a bold blue colour palette and a rustic neolith tiled wall for the bed backdrop.The pooja area, also part of the first floor is done in pure white marble with metal inlay work. The home theatre on the second floor has a six panelled backdrop for the plush seating used here. Creating the panels was a task — it started from a small sketch on paper from which large scale prints were taken, and then the design was hand-embroidered on a fabric in the shape of an arch.