design at home

Rajan bhatt of bezel designs & communications (P) ltd designed a fashionable abode foR a

client in Gurgaon. The house exudes luxury and has all the facilities of a modern hotel, with the warmth

of a home; flamboyant yet subtle, with well-defined public and private spaces

Über coolÜber cool

the client, a businessman in his early 50s, wanted the house of his dreams for himself and his family—his wife and two sons. Apart from the basic functional needs he had two requirements—a full-fledged home theatre and a standalone place

for worship and meditation. Since the architect had worked with the client and his sons before, he was given a free hand to do the house.

The stylish 8,000sq ft bungalow stands on an odd-shaped, five-cornered plot but utilises all the corners effectively. The USP of the house is that although its functional aspects have been given priority, all the design features have been seamlessly integrated within. The architect was involved right from the stage of plot selection to the building and designing of the interior spaces including the furniture and lighting, and this explains the cohesiveness of the entire structure.

The house has four levels–basement, ground, first and the second—connected by an internal staircase. The design sensibility can be seen right away as one enters the main gate, wherein the mandatory site setbacks and the challenging, awkward shape of the five-cornered plot have been creatively utilised to incorporate landscaped greens, a driveway with

d es i g n at h o m e

A deck next to the kitchen offers a quiet corner for the family, while refreshments

can be served from the kitchen through the service window

d es i g n at h o m e

parking space for three cars, space for housing a generator, water features, and utility areas.

The contemporary and clean lines of the structure’s exterior are what make it particularly striking. The primarily white exteriors with a dash of rough yellow Jaisalmer stone, the steel pergolas tying the front and the side, and the 35’ tall and 6’ wide slate cladded feature wall add to its elegance.

The blank southwest facade has been adorned with steel in a wave-like pattern and Teflon-coated fabric installation art, to prevent direct sunlight from falling onto the building and to keep it cool in summer months. As per the design requirement for a standalone place of worship, a steel-and-glass pyramid has been created to worship and meditate, and is aligned perfectly with the entrance.

The regular entrance door welcomes one into the entrance foyer. This space has a business-like yet warm atmosphere with dull green rattan furniture and, rusty orange cushions, placed above a striped ochre, mirror-polished

The basement has a salon like bar, a high-

tech home theatre with colour-changing LED

lighting, plush recliners and a workspace

designtodayNovember 2012

00

d es i g n at h o m e

sandstone floor. A tall, almost ceremonial door of seasoned Burma teak opens right into the formal seating space. A simple yet effective design detail has been used to establish a visual connect of the entrance foyer with the outdoors— mirror image water bodies with fountains separated by a large glass enclosure. This space is all elegance, with large white panel marble flooring and almost stark furniture in white suede with walnut trims. Two floral chairs with mustard suede petals right next to the water feature and inverted onion dome lights above make an interesting corner composition.

The kitchen is large enough to accommodate a well-articulated cooking space and a separate nook for the washing area. The beige countertop and Burma teak shutters give it a functional yet warm feel. The large windows bring in the natural light and make it look spacious.

The dining area is cheerful and happy flanked by the brightly lit yellow staircase well on one side and the semi- open deck on the other, making it a space of contentment.

The master bedroom and the boys’

bedrooms on the upper floor each have

their own terrace or balcony

designtodayNovember 2012

00

d es i g n at h o m e

This semi-open deck next to the kitchen, offers a quiet corner for the family to sit out while the beverages and eatables can be served directly from the kitchen through the service window.

Another demand from the client, a full-fledged home theatre-cum-entertainment zone, has been incorporated in the basement. The architect has transformed a dreary, dark basement into a high-tech haven with a fashionable salon-like bar, an acoustically treated home theatre with professional level AV system, controlled colour-changing LED lighting and top-of-the-line recliners and a library cum workspace.

The internal staircase is an important feature of the house. It is a complete RCC structure where each step is an independent, suspended entity, tapering towards the sides and jutting out of a RCC sheer wall that continues from the basement till the topmost floor, cutting out the harsh southwest sun. As one moves through the upper floors, one encounters the personal spaces—the master bedroom and

Each toilet is minimalistic and

monochromatic. They are finished in slate,

marble or Jaisalmer stone

designtodayNovember 2012

00

d es i g n at h o m e

the boys’ bedrooms. Each of these suites has its own terrace or balcony. The toilet of each suite is monochromatic and minimalistic. Each toilet is finished in a single type of stone —slate, marble or Jaisalmer—with high-quality stainless CP fittings and contrasting white ceramicware. Large mirrors with LED lights embedded in them add to their dimension.

A lot of thought has gone into making this building climatically conscious, if not downright ‘green’. The wet areas of the house are located on the southwest wall, and this acts as a thermal buffer for the rest of the house. The sloping roof finished with slate tiles provides a greater volume to the top floor rooms, thus allowing a false ceiling which also helps in thermal insulation. Windows used are white UPVC with double-glazing to keep out the noise, and are extremely

designtodayNovember 2012

00

d es i g n at h o m e

effective in maintaining thermal control.Rainwater management and harvesting have been

carefully tackled. Besides making provision for harvesting the water in the open landscaped areas, the metal gutters on the edge of the sloping roof ensure that all the rainwater from the roof and terrace levels reaches the harvesting pit. LED lights have been used in the entire building both for the outdoors and indoors to keep the power consumption at its lowest.

Says Rajan, “Besides the awkward shape of the plot, the other challenge was to integrate the rich finishing material pallete—12 kinds of natural stone, stainless steel, glass, Teflon-coated outdoor fabric, painted mild steel perforated sheets, an interesting dash of pine wood in the exteriors; seasoned Burma teak for all the furniture and doors; satin and textured finishes of paints in both outdoor and indoors—harmoniously.”

The stylish 8,000sq ft bungalow with four levels

stands on an odd-shaped, five-cornered plot but utilises all

the corners effectively

designtodayNovember 2012

00

d es i g n at h o m e

Photographs: BharaT aGGarwaL; Text: mrinmoyEE r pauL