House TM-103

Design Firm: Syzygy Architects
Principal Architects: Abhishek Pandit & Romit Koundinya
Location: Mumbai, India
Project Typology: Residential
Photographer: Prashant Bhat
Styling Credit: Shraddha Nayak

A 1,500 square foot ancestral home in Mumbai witnesses a complete design metamorphosis by Syzygy Architects as they breathe new life into the space while paying tribute to the home’s grounding sentiment.

Located in close proximity to the Five Gardens, Mumbai, this ancestral residence inhabited by the family is cradled in the surrounding verdure of its context, entwining the threads of the past with the present with resounding grace.

A single-floor home that occupies the expanse of the ground floor, this abode hosts the patriarchal head of the family and his daughter. The clients approached the design consortium of Syzygy Architects in early January to lend a new lease of life to their existing lineal home.

“The home had great bones and is reminiscent of solid methods akin to older construction techniques. The existing internal layout on the other hand was disunited and sporadically arranged. This resulted in the public and private zones in the home not abiding by any sense of spatial hierarchy, lacking required ventilation, and being devoid of natural light. Our design intervention needed to be rooted to preserve the sentiment the clients harbored while reimagining the layout to create a cohesive and pragmatic scheme of spaces,” share the Architect Duo.

What followed was an exhaustive design process that traversed reconfiguring the floor plan intrinsically, creating pronounced segregation between the communal and private zones of the home. This envisaged delegating renewed roles to spaces, often changing the very purpose of the erstwhile space. The heart of the dwelling is a conjunction of the open-plan spatial scheme constituting the capacious living area and an integrated dining cum kitchen section that beckons the family and their loved ones to engage in the core of the home with its rehabilitated circulation patterns. Principles of Environmental Psychology and a sensorial approach join forces to create a holistic space that is tactile and tangible in its weave.

The original layout accessed the residence via a constricted and dimly lit passage space that led right into the private suites of the residents. This was remedied by creating a theatrical entrance foyer that employs a volume-play in the form of shifting heights. The compact spot has been lit with accent lighting with strips of LED profile lights cascading from the ceiling, onto the wall, creating a moody demeanour while wood tones and brass headline the material palette. A nodal space in its function, the foyer is diaphanously illuminated as it serves as the backdrop to the water curtain in the living room, casting morphing shadows in the space. Conceptualised as a ‘womb of tranquility’, the passage space unfurls into the stated living area that is swathed in plentiful daylight and boundless views of the surrounding lushness with its heightened ceilings.

Far removed from its past cluttered persona, the living area is the nucleus of all communal activity in the home for the father, daughter, and their guests. The driving impetus was focused on conjuring a space that was modern in its sensibilities while relying on minimalistic design nuances that exude familial warmth into the space. The serene turquoise hue of the upholstered furniture riffs well off the overall monochromatic space, accented with doses of concrete, wooden finishes, and touches of metals. The culled-out rectilinear section on one end poses as an additional seating nook, incorporating inconspicuous storage space within its build.

“The senses are engaged in a dynamic manner — the water curtain as a backdrop to the zen Buddha sculpture, hints of natural greens, umber wood tones and copious amounts of natural light meld together, paying homage to the balance of forces in nature that are replicated in this indoor space,” adds Romit.

A conjoined kitchen and dining area is tethered to the living section via the means of wood-framed sliding doors with textured glass infills. The introduction of this array of doors permits the end-users to amalgamate the cooking and dining space with the lounge area on a whim making it a collaborative space while hosting, or cordon-off the spaces altogether based on need. The sizeable sleek island counter cased in white marble is the magnum opus element in the space, enabling the kitchen to pack in additional dining spots and storage spaces. The homogenous utilisation of the grey-veined white marble nods to the pared-down aesthetic of the kitchen which witnesses the stone dotting the counters and backsplash in the L-shaped kitchen with poise.

The layout of the space allows the kitchen island to become a silent spatial demarcator, flowing seamlessly into the dining nook. Each earmarked by suave pendant lighting, these zones reiterate the expansiveness of the space through clean geometric forms. The dining section is framed against a gridded textural concrete wall and anchors a marble-top dining table for six, paired with complementary teal upholstered chairs and opulent brass tones as seen in the table’s Art Deco-inspired base.

Formerly a congested laundry and storage area, the guest bathroom in the revised floor plan serves its function without intruding into the private zones of the blueprint. Ubiquitously clad in boldly veined white marble, this petit bathroom boasts of a simulated sense of space kudos to its neoteric minimalism that is in sync with the overruling aesthetic.

Personalised ensuite bedrooms of the home revel in much-needed privacy and are conceptualised to a ‘T’ with the intention of allowing the spaces to become honest reflections of their inhabitants. The daughter’s bedroom is a vision in monochromes interlaced with slivers of color. While white rules the roost in terms of the overarching palette, hints of deep ochre and navy-blue grace the space in the form of upholstery. The focal white brick-clad headboard wall hosts an upbeat neon signage that bears views of the window seat which is bookended by a snug study nook.

The pre-existing curved balcony niche has been meshed into the layout, creating a semi-circular walk-in closet that maximises storage potential. The guiding instinct in this intimate bedroom space has been to consciously disengage with stereotypical feminine elements, instead creating a timeless sanctuary that is evocative of the end-preferences. An inverted palette of black and white presides over the daughter’s bathroom; a hemispherical full-length wall mirror imbues an amplified sense of space to the bathroom. The Armani Silver Marble stone envelopes the walls, summoning forth a sense of luxe sumptuousness.

A balanced equation between opposite yet complementary elements defines the persona of the master suite. A kitchen in the former spatial layout, this bedroom was the subject of an extensive design transformation that brought to light the end-user’s penchant for an impactful and curated design ethos.

The statement headboard wall is an artistic element in its own right, composed of a medley of textured materiality and a tactful play of light. Deep charcoal surfaces flank a customised panel of full-bodied natural white stone that is illuminated immaculately to raptly capture one’s attention. Deep blue upholstery pairs with the tranquil yet modish aura of the space which is the end-user’s oasis. The reading nook complete with a teal lounge chair assumes an arched form and is punctured with a triad of windows that invite dollops of light and green views of the outside indoors. The master bath is doused in a dark and elevated palette, highlighted with rose gold fittings and fixtures that introduce sophistication into this space for revitalisation. 

The newly designed residence’s ability to address the morphed spatial needs of the family, while ensuring that the omnipresent design grammar is immersive in nature is the sheer testimony of its success. “It was pivotal for us to be able to create a home in every sense of the word. It was a residence that was lived-in, had memories attached to it and we had to base our design process upon being sensitive and accommodative of this fact,” concludes Abhishek. House TM-103 creates a compelling backdrop for the inhabitant family to create memories afresh in the refuge of their novel haven.

This piece was published on Architect and Interiors India (July 2021) and InteriorLover.in (July 2021).