Structured Living
Residential | Interiors | 1,230 SqFT | CHENNAI
Designing Apartment 4.0 was an exercise in restraint: restraint in the visual, restraint in the use of materials as well as time and budget. We took it upon ourselves to explore elements that could come together to form a visual story and materials that would last long and not require touchups and repair every now and then. This was also an exercise in smart planning and composing. Using minimum resources, we developed the elements in space to be bare and minimal that could expand the surfaces, creating a series of frames. This visual story allowed us to tie up odd nooks and corners and create continuous surfaces that became subtle backdrops, wrapping around the entire shell.
To make the most of the space available, the shell was kept bare. Brightly lit, the house flaunts Un-ending lines and surfaces, where the floor, walls and ceiling merge into each other, expanding the visual volume. The lines that begin at the walls continue to become art, furniture as well as patterns on the cushions and the carpets. Merging the lines between art and installation, each surface becomes a composition and then a part of a bigger composition.
The mood was set. It was to be warm & subtle, not loud and not too bold. Beige’s and browns set the tone. Our natural teak wood lines, some lime plaster texture and just paint allowed us to create a cohesive, minimalist visual setting. The deeper tones were introduced in loose and fixed furniture. Leather furniture combined with surfaces in lacquer in shades of beiges and brown brought that visual depth. Motifs in prints and patterns in soft furnishings added that textural accent.
All the furniture has been customized for this particular project. The fabric choices along with those tiny stitching details exhibit the visual story. Cushions take on a traditional note through printed motifs that are exaggerated in the carpets, mostly in jute and cotton from Jaipur Rugs.
For us this was a learning of how a very small intervention can create such timeless elegant spaces. Just lines and surfaces used in the right place, in the right context and the right proportion allowed us to achieve a bold yet minimalist visual compositions. Apartment 4.0 is all about continuous lines and textures that create an un-interrupted visual flow and spatial depth. Every design decision, material choice has been a derivative of that thought, setting that warm homely mood.
