Delhi Houzz: Love, Light and Luxury Define This Home
Chromed Design Studio gave this abode a modern avatar post refurbishment but kept its warm, cosy spirit alive
There is excitement and also a sense of nostalgia when it comes to re-doing a home – it’s all about letting go of many old things, yet preserving some of the memories woven into the house while making way for new designs, forms and ambience. With this in mind, the client approached Abhigyan Neogi, principal architect, Chromed Design Studio, to re-do his house “asking for the assurance that it would have an elevated sense of comfort and design”. Neogi says, “Recreating the familiarity was a challenge where the client’s memories of the existing home had to be sustained along with an all-new contemporary outlook. We broke away from the rigid design style of modernity and over-the-top opulence, and created an urban space that blended traditional and modern design and evoked a feeling of warmth and understated luxury.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: New Delhi
Year built: 2016
Size: 668 square metres (7200 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms; dining room; living room; reading room; family lounge room; activity room; entertainment room
Interior architect: Abhigyan Neogi, principal architect, Chromed Design Studio
Photographs by Arvind Hoon
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: New Delhi
Year built: 2016
Size: 668 square metres (7200 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms; dining room; living room; reading room; family lounge room; activity room; entertainment room
Interior architect: Abhigyan Neogi, principal architect, Chromed Design Studio
Photographs by Arvind Hoon
The entrance lobby welcomes us with a large artwork that is set off by the dark flooring. The ground floor houses the guest room (close to the main door), dining room and living room. A traditional-style half-partition in metal with intricate jali work gives a decorative quality to the space.
“A major structural change was the addition of a lift (next to the staircase). The modifications were carried out with the aim to achieve the flexibility of an RCC structure in a load-bearing one by adding metal girders wherever the walls were pulled out,” Neogi says.
Flooring: Sidrons; walls: Asian Paints
“A major structural change was the addition of a lift (next to the staircase). The modifications were carried out with the aim to achieve the flexibility of an RCC structure in a load-bearing one by adding metal girders wherever the walls were pulled out,” Neogi says.
Flooring: Sidrons; walls: Asian Paints
The large, primarily brown-toned living room is dotted with paintings, curios and plenty of seating options. “All the rooms have large windows – the main objective was to open up the plan of the building so that enough natural light seeped into all parts of the house. Most of the furniture is customised in-house by us. This area is interrupted with the view of an elevated platform filled with stones and plants against the backdrop of the slate boundary wall outside. Slatted wood panelling covers a portion of the ceiling and blankets a wall opposite the platform,” Neogi says. The earthy black cuddapah flooring adds depth to the space while art pieces complement to the furniture, red and grey respectively, in the two parts of the room.
Take a look at more living rooms from around the world
Take a look at more living rooms from around the world
“The dining space has a view to the outdoors through a glass cube popping out of the built form,” Neogi says. The modern-style dining table has an unusual egg-shaped teak top with a back-lit lattice base. The interiors are finished in dark flooring and a wooden ceiling design; the space outside shows black-and-white chevron patterned flooring.
Dining table: Sameer Wheaton
Check out these dining tables that are perfect for relaxed get togethers
Dining table: Sameer Wheaton
Check out these dining tables that are perfect for relaxed get togethers
The first level (above the ground floor) is a private area, with bedrooms (master bedroom and an extra room) and a reading room – mainly a floor for the family to spend their quiet time together. Common colour schemes, materials and aesthetics unify the design.
Inside the reading room is a bookshelf, plenty of art, sofas and ottomans. “Meant for casual gatherings, it has a breakfast table, a library and a wall full of pictures of the family, making it a more intimate space,” Neogi says.
Inside the reading room is a bookshelf, plenty of art, sofas and ottomans. “Meant for casual gatherings, it has a breakfast table, a library and a wall full of pictures of the family, making it a more intimate space,” Neogi says.
The master bedroom, with wooden flooring and white walls, has a relaxed vibe to it. “An apparently floating cement-board slab on the ceiling breaks the material monotony and creates contrast in this otherwise brown-and-beige interior,” Neogi says.
The second bedroom has a half-partition wooden wall that segregates the sleeping area and study-cum-lounge. The former has a low bed with a rug beside it. The latter houses two chairs, a table built on to both sides of the partition and a seating area on one side with a decorative pendant light. “Minute detailing, such as the brass strips on the otherwise plain stone floor, enhances the beauty of the space,” Neogi says.
The stairs are finished in brown khareda stone and lead up to the second level, which is the hub for socialising.
The landing area opens to a space with a metal jali screen, wooden flooring and a small dining area that allows plenty of room for family activities and games. This floor has an activity room, an entertainment room and a terrace, accessed through the door on the left.
Further inside the second floor is the family lounge. “Its design is highlighted with laid-back luxury – walls dotted with art, long sofas and a graphic-printed chair make it an ideal spot to unwind,” Neogi says. Plenty of cushions and floor seating further enhance the relaxing ambience of the space. “The place, with plush sofa setting and soft lighting, also has a view of the front deck through the huge glass-and-oak door,” Neogi says.
Browse through these 8 family rooms and lounges for ultimate together time
Browse through these 8 family rooms and lounges for ultimate together time
The entertainment room has a small pantry. “This room, too, looks out to the green surroundings and a sliding door opens out to the terrace,” Neogi says.
The serenity of the terrace is highlighted by kota and Jaisalmer stone laid in a chevron pattern, a large work of art standing on the floor, an intimate seating arrangement and the lush trees surrounding the house.
“Every element, piece of furniture and creative decision was crucial in making each and every space live up to the expectations of the client. The aim was to recreate the familiarity of their old home that they were reluctant to let go of,” Neogi says.
Read more:
Pune Houzz: A Royal Palace Sits Snug in a City Bungalow
Houzz Tour: Kochi Biennale Curator’s Home Speaks to Its Neighbours
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
“Every element, piece of furniture and creative decision was crucial in making each and every space live up to the expectations of the client. The aim was to recreate the familiarity of their old home that they were reluctant to let go of,” Neogi says.
Read more:
Pune Houzz: A Royal Palace Sits Snug in a City Bungalow
Houzz Tour: Kochi Biennale Curator’s Home Speaks to Its Neighbours
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
“The two-level house is articulated around a square or rectangular geometrical plan but the spatial arrangement within this framework is a complex interplay of large and deep spaces and connections that stretch across the length of the house in various directions,” Neogi says.
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