The design philosophy of this elegant house created by A+T Associates in Vadodara is dominated by patterns that have been deftly derived from a diverse material palette that marries the family’s Indian roots while reflecting their modern lifestyle.
With the help of a diverse material palette in varied permutations and combinations, patterns take centre stage in this Vadodara house designed by A+T Associates. It all started when the client, Vinod Shah, director of the city’s famous Mohanlal Tea Pvt Ltd, roped in interior designers Tanvi Rajpurohit and Archis Patel for the home’s architectural renovation and for revamping the interior decor. Fondly referred to as the Pattern House by Archis and Tanvi, the project is spread over two levels — the inspiring interiors imagined as pattern play using different materials in a single box. Creative yet cultural, Pattern House is a delightful abode that is definitely more than just a project worked on by A+T Associates.
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The dramatic entrance is composed of three distinctive elements as adjustable louvers, a wooden main door and a jaali safety door accentuated with the patterns formed of the lotus that plays as positive and negative respectively.
Graduated from Arvindbhai Patel Institute of Environmental Design (APIED) at Vallabha Vidhya Nagar, Tanvi and Archis happened to work in the same design firm at the threshold of their careers. They soon realized the similarity in their perspective and ideology not only for their profession but also for life at large. In 2010, they collectively established A+T Associates in Vadodara and have been recipients of multiple accolades and recognition since then. Their design aesthetic is marked by clean, simple and sophisticated lines, a palette of neutral colours and interesting textures. “All our designs possess a basic seriousness with an injection of freshness,” states Tanvi. “We believe in evergreen designs that do not follow sheep-like trends.” The firm has an unparalleled flair for modern simplicity or classical minimalism. One look at their work is enough to ascertain that there is no scope of pompous embellishments or quirky decor. It is purely young, neat and soothing.
The living room has been done in neutral walls, warmly tinted furniture, comfy couches, an innovative centre table and eccentric vases. Its gorgeous view is framed through the wooden ceiling.
At the Pattern House, the entrance itself is a precursor to the delights that follow. “The lady of the house wanted a double-door entrance wherein there is one which is the jaali safety door while the other is the main door that gets closed only at night,” explains Tanvi. “This is the conventional notion for an entrance which is usually replaced by a single door with adjoining louvers in modern residences. However, the client was adamant, so we had to work out a solution that would serve their purpose yet look contemporary,” informs Tanvi. The resultant dramatic entrance is composed of three distinctive elements as main door, safety door and adjustable louvers. The lotus flower is considered to be very auspicious in Indian culture. The designer duo contemporized its form and generated a pattern that played as positive and negative on the main door and embossed it on its Burma teak planks and then on the jaali safety door as a carving on metal plates embedded in wooden sections. Each door is different yet in sync as a result of which one can see through the pattern even when both the doors are closed.
The decor of the rectilinear, spacious and well-lit living room is subtle and elegant with points of focus such as lively cushions and colourful graphics.
Steps inside the entrance lead to the living room, a pattern and material repartee. The client desired a spacious and luxurious living space and therefore, the existing living room with a chamfered corner was transformed. Architecturally, it changed into a rectilinear, spacious and well-lit space with liberal openings by extending the existing walls. The interior decor is subtle and elegant with comfy couches complemented by an interesting hexagonal centre table made from three segregated pieces that can be used distinctively or together. To highlight the wall behind the couch, an intriguing pattern is carved out from a 19 mm-thick MDF sheet which has an embossed effect. The wooden ceiling frames the entire composition that’s further emphasized with trendy cushions and vases. No overdo seems to be the mantra of choice.
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To fulfill the client’s demand of a sumptuous kitchen and dining space, the existing claustrophobic store room was replaced with a vertical ceiling-to-floor storage wall- mounted unit that sports sliding doors. This allows the space to leak into the spacious dining room and extended kitchen. The combination of black premium granite countertop, warmly tinted veneer-finished cabinet units, elegant vitrified wall tiles and subtle flooring becomes the ideal ensemble for the cooking area. Devoid of any rigid partition wall, the staircase distinguishes the dining and kitchen where the spatial dimension and alabaster colouring render an appearance of a vast space.
Interesting patterns inspired by traditional local craft and “beading pattis” are placed together to form a larger pattern that serves as the headboard in the recessed wall behind the bed.
Owing to the fact that the client has two daughters and a son, he requested the addition of a third bedroom on the first floor along with the other two existing ones. The open-to-sky terrace was converted into a bedroom with adjoining balcony which would serve as the son’s personal space now and master bedroom in the future. As per the designer’s signature style, the decor of the bedroom is kept subtle while creating an element of focus through the beguiling design of the grand headboard. Interesting patterns inspired from traditional local craft are stamped on the element, locally known as “beading pattis” which when placed together, form a larger pattern that serves as the headboard on the recessed wall. The impact of this element’s rich design is neutralized by the subtle Oikos wall paint, warmly-tinted furniture, a chic resin-lined bed and monochromatic art.
The daughters’ room is adorned with the headboard accentuated with an assemblage of contrasting materials like Italian stone and wooden mosaic churned out from the leftover wood of old stair railing.
The daughters’ bedroom is given a feminine ambience with wine-coloured wall, flushed lighting and colourful art. Customized wooden beads are roped into a string with a lamp at one end to create whimsical lights that perfectly match with the young girls’ personalities. In continuation with the theme of their brother’s room, the headboard is accentuated through an assemblage of contrasting materials like Italian stone and wooden mosaic churned out from the leftover wood of an old stair railing. The bathroom too is bejewelled with decorative brass lights, a bespoke golden hexagonal mirror, a quartz countertop and self-textured fabric finish on the walls.
In the master bedroom, the entire wall behind the bed is adorned with wooden textured U-PVC strips backed by plywood panelling, usually a system used for flooring. The headboard, a slightly tilted composite stone is further accentuated with reverse lighting.
In the master bedroom, with the intention to camouflage the dressing room door, the entire wall behind the bed is adorned with wooden textured U-PVC strips backed by plywood panelling, usually a system used for flooring. The slightly-tilted composite stone serving as the headboard is enhanced with reverse lighting. The en suite bathroom sports gold Italian stone while natural light gushes in through glass skylights fixed on pergolas. Inbuilt sitting and niches graced with artefacts render grandeur to the stone clad bathrooms.
Traditional yet contemporary, simple but dramatic, this house reveals the story in a series of details that highlights the best in a modest and elegant display of creativity.
CONCEPTTo design a house that has an evergreen Indian appeal along with a modern minimalist decor.
MATERIALSMain door Burma teak wood, metal plates held by metal rods embedded in wooden sections (safety door) Kitchen Vitrified tiles (floor and wall), black premium granite (counter top), veneer and Duco paint (furniture) Walls Oikos paint (son’s bedroom), self-textured fabric finish (daughter’s bedroom), wood-textured U-PVC strips backed by plywood paneling (master bedroom)
FACT FILE Project Pattern House Location Vadodara Client Vinod Shah Area 2,500 sq ft Principal designers Tanvi Rajpurohit and Archis Patel
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By: Betterinteriors
