A MODERN MARVEL
Straight lines, contemporary furniture, lots of colour, bespoke lights and art give this apartment in Ahmedabad a unique appeal
An apartment in Ahmedabad by design firm OpenIdeas that is an ode to contemporary living
Fancy designing a home for an unknown owner? This is exactly what architects Monarch Champaneri, Nilesh Patel and Niralee Champaneri of OpenIdeas were asked to do for Le Jardin, the first residential project in Law Garden, Ahmedabad by the Advance Group. “They wanted us to infuse new aesthetic sensibility in the real estate market of the city and gave us a free hand in designing the interior of the show apartment. Our only brief was to design elegant and lively livable spaces,” says Niralee. For those not in the know, OpenIdeas is a design firm that believes to showcase architecture for what it is, ‘an intelligent and innovative response to local constraints’. Their repertoire includes community housing, private residences and urban development projects. This 3,500 square feet apartment is a good example of their design style, contemporary, chic and colourful.
THE CONCEPT
“The interiors are a blend of sophistication with functional elegance and attention to detail,” says Niralee, adding, “Each room was designed with contemporary, comfortable sensibility, combining tailored architectural detailing along with light and airy use of materials and colours.” One can see an interesting interplay of colours in almost every room. For instance, a diverse collection of art goes well with subdued colored walls and paneling, bright curtains contrast well with sofas in neutral shades. The apartment has a living cum dining room, the master bedroom, the grandparent’s room, a bedroom for the children and a home theatre room.
LIVING AREA TURN CHIC
“The contemporary living room is dressed primarily in blues and whites,” says Niralee, who has used Italian stone cladding on the floors and walls to give a sense of richness to the space. This is further accentuated by the vibrant blue of the curtains that serves as an interesting backdrop for the sofa, and the artwork. However, the focal point here is the light in the centre of the room. The golden gleam of brass and the delicate cutwork makes the contemporary chandelier stand out.
SPACES BECOME SEAMLESS
The living room moves into the dining area. “The walls here are adorned with a cool grey stucco vintage style paneling that provides a perfect backdrop for the natural stone dining table with beige upholstered chairs,” says Niralee. Like the drawing, here too the light (in this case a vibrant red chandelier) grabs the spotlight. The beauty of this apartment is the way one area moves into the other. The dining is located next to the open kitchen. A
tall kitchen counter with stools divides the two areas.
DECODING THE BEDROOMS
“We wanted to design an elegant master bedroom, that's why we used Italian marble for the flooring and for the backdrop of the beige, leather-finished bed. While a glass partition between the room and the bathroom gives a feeling of transparency and vastness to the space,” says Niralee. Like the other room here too illumination has been carefully selected. Case in point, the bed has perforated metal side hanging lamps that highlights wall. The other two bedrooms have been envisioned as the grandparent’s room and the childrens' room. The former is designed to appear cosy and warm, embellished with wood and fabrics in shades of beige with a striking red artwork to add colour. “While vibrant hues of yellow and green have been used on ceiling and furniture for the childens' room,” says Niralee. In fact, the walls here are embellished with bright printed wallpaper.
CREATING MOVIE MAGIC
The architects’ favourite area in the home happens to be the room with the home theatre. “The brightness and vibrancy of the fabric paneling on the walls has been balanced by the acoustical wood paneling as well as wooden flooring. While the coloured printed couches give a feeling of a fun, entertaining space that is high on comfort,” says Niralee, who believes that the apartment is a perfect balance between elegance and bling.
Besides the contemporary design, chic furniture, the art-like lighting and play of colours, what truly stands out is the way one space moves into the other.