The Three Tone Wood House

Design Firm: STaND Design
Principal Architects: Nikita D’Silva & Siddhant Tikkoo
Location: Mumbai, India
Project Typology: Residential
Photographer: Kuber Shah

An antithesis of conventionally compact Mumbai apartments, The Three Tone Wood House heroes its curated palette of umber tones ingeniously to knit the architectural fabric of this bachelor pad while drawing in views of the Arabian waterfront.

It’s the electric pulse of the cosmopolitan and the memory of the voluminous lofts dotting apartments in the beating heart of Chicago that became the emotional catalyst of this bachelor pad. The apartment rests upon the sloping terrain of Pali Hill – Bandra. Occupying the 9th floor of the built structure, the home indulges in uninterrupted views of the waterfront promenade immersed in an incessant conversation with the sea. Strung together with minimalism at its design core, this 2-BHK bachelor pad borrows inspiration from a sense of nostalgia tethered to the inhabitant’s time in the ‘Windy City’.

Exuding ease and comfort, The Three Tone Wood House lends its blueprint malleably to the homeowner’s zest to host and to morph into a sanctuary for one effortlessly. Despite being one of the smaller-scale projects undertaken by the studio, the home’s progress was adjourned upon countless incidents owing to the pandemic-induced lockdowns.

The inspiration that makes an apparent cameo across the dwelling is a composite of a pared-down material and colour palette that renders the space with homogeneity. The loft-design aesthetic is headlined by Bauhaus sensibilities in tandem with the conceived triad of wood tones that christen the home. The project has been viewed from the vantage point of an interior architecture project wherein critical walls have been iterated to assume an exalted sense of connection.

The line of sight is compellingly focused on the sea and sky and the components in the space in the form of furniture, fixtures, and material silhouettes don a sleek character to keep the focus steadfast upon this unparalleled view.

The shell of the home has been doused in a restrained scheme of materiality — a concrete finish traverses the walls and ceilings, deep grey matte floors unify the floor plan, and the warm interplay of three umber tones of wood make an unmissable appearance. Curated pieces of furniture and finishes have been interjected into the layout with an intention of celebrating the seascape and the metropolitan’s zest.

The trio of wood tones makes a debut across various surfaces. Ash Black Oakwood dots door jambs and integral cabinetry. Oakwood ascribing to its textured and Scandinavian-inspired finish bathes larger surfaces like partitions and panelling ensembles. Solid Teak wood has been employed in the creation of statement furniture that ties in with the overruling narrative of the home.

The layout unfurls with a galley kitchen that functions adeptly as a pantry of sorts for the bachelor. Compact yet pragmatic, the synergy of colour and texture is the protagonist in this spot — the charcoal cabinetry, textured ochre subway tiles, ebony granite, and the oak-toned finish create a stimulating visual.

Accessed through a fluted glass and black metal sliding door, the spacious open plan living, and dining space form the nucleus of the abode. The walls separating the living from the secondary bedroom were done away with to create spaces that could be linked or disengaged upon a whim by a central partition system with the glass and metal sliding door and fluted oak panelling. The locus of this space is a deep-navy sectional sofa that is the muse of the room and is the only addition of colour in the communal zone.

The seating space is accented by an assemblage of clustered curved coffee tables that boast of the oak, teak, and ash black oakwood tones unifying the room. The bespoke television console rests upon an oak-finished ledge and is composed of a teak body meshed with a framework of black metal members that host movable trays, a piece of furniture influenced irrefutably by Mid-century Modern allure. An art-deco art print revelling in blues and indoor greens breathe life into the space while being seamless constituents of the living area.

Framing views of the seafront and bordered by the living space, the dining area sits snugly by the floor-to-ceiling fenestrations. The nook has been imagined as a corner wherein the homeowner and his guests can gather around the circular dining table which is crowned by an oak-lined soffit. A fluted glass and black ash oak bar credenza complete the space fittingly as one grabs a cocktail to chase the Bombay sunsets.

Underscored by a retro-inclined sentiment, the suave study cum guest bedroom is representative of simplicity and a sharp design grammar. The study lends itself as an extension of the living room and opens to interact with the communal space when the client hosts, maximising the occupiable space appreciably. The space poses as a secluded area to work remotely out of while anchoring a diwan-style pull-out bed to host guests.

A classic Mid-Century Modern period desk and Eames-inspired chair create the study space within the room’s centre, paired immaculately with the custom teak and metal bookshelf for the homeowner’s reads which is juxtaposed against the fluted oak-panelled wall. Colour is tastefully seamed into the space within the confines of the petit adjunct powder bathroom — this is expressed through the hemispherical wall mirror, speckled black terrazzo floor tiles and dado, and the dust pink-steeped walls.

Monochromes dominate the visual palette of the master suite, only to be embraced by colour and warm textures in welcome doses. The room is preluded by a dapper built-in wardrobe and a wall-length mirror which imbue the space with a larger sense of expanse. A floating bed grounds the space and is harboured by a panelled headboard in ash black oak which is suffused with concealed storage for the bibliophile’s vast collection of books.

The sea-facing glass-lined perimeter of the bedroom generously integrates the indoors and the outdoors; a reading and meditation nook finds its rightful place here to witness the sky, sea, and land converse. The chair hosts a pop of rust which pairs effortlessly with the dichromatic rug, a unique earthy jute dhurrie tinted using natural dyes and woven with handmade strands. Jute-finished linen roman blinds drape the windows, heralding rootedness in the otherwise starkly monochrome space.

With the elimination of a former internal wall and a glass partition being installed in its place, the master bathroom fuses itself into the blueprint of the ensuite bedroom to initiate dialogue amidst the spaces. Colour and pattern permeate the bathing chambers unabashedly and inject the minimalist bedroom with an undeniable edge. Hidden away deftly behind blinds that can be drawn at will, the glass-lined bathroom soaks in views of the sea while endowing the end-user with privacy.

The Three Tone Wood House spiritedly deceives the numerical square footage the dwelling was formerly granted, and it does so to offer its young inhabitant an abode that finds its roots in reminiscence while his lifestyle champions the home. With detail and nuanced materiality being the frontrunners herein, this residence breathes life into the vision of savouring company and solitude in equal measures.