Patterned Vignettes

Patterned Vignettes: Alkove-Design crafts a vocabulary of compelling patterns for an understated-luxury Pune home.

Text by Rama Raghavan

Homes too, like people, have personas. Some dwellings are introspective, coaxing their inhabitants to embrace solitude, while some with their friendly disposition catalyse conversations. The role of the designer is to mould the personality of the space to make it complement the user’s innate nature, thereby creating an amicable association. The most challenging aspect is when contrasting personalities have to be juxtaposed with harmony within a home. 

A young couple- Keyur and Hemali approached Alkove-Design with a request to design their family home in Pune. Spread across 2900 sq. ft, the spacious 4- bedroom apartment overlooks a lush green open space in an upscale neighbourhood. The Munot family’s brief asked for an unostentatious and toned-down aesthetic for their home- for it to be imbued with a quiet, dignified persona, so to speak. Conversely, the family also wanted it to be conducive to hosting social gatherings and get-togethers. Now the challenge here was to design a space that amalgamated the quality of being inconspicuous with a contrasting persona that roused interest and impelled interactions. It was almost like the house was to be infused with the personality of an ambivert!

A Pattern Language

The task at hand was to bring out some compelling design gestures whilst maintaining an overall subtle language for the home. The team came up with a brilliant design tool that could influence yet not overpower the overall space- “Patterns”. Komal Mittal, Principal Architect at Alkove-Design says, “Rather than dig into a directory of preset patterns, we chose to work with restraint using 2 basic elements- the classic curve and the dependable line. Combining these 2 ingredients we conjured up a simple, yet effective vocabulary of patterns and forms customized for each space.”

The sprawling, well-lit living-dining space with a whopping length of 44 ft. is designed to cater to soirées frequently hosted by the family. A combination of seating pockets created across the length of the space offer options for interaction. The bevelled back panel of the television in white Italian marble is embedded into the wall, creating depth. Cheer through colour comes forth with the addition of a contrasting vibrant blue console and dusky pink sofas that contrast with the pearly elegance of the space. The furniture was custom designed and brought in from Better Living in Surat. Tying together the neutral aesthetic is a reassuring dark oak fluted panel that anchors the large, undivided volume. 

The living area- a congenial mix of personalities, combines the elegance of the curved Italian marble profile with the stability of the fluted wooden panel to create a pleasant backdrop for soirées. The furniture adds a splash of colour to the muted setting. 

Whites and beige finishes reflect the natural light coming in from the east into the voluminous living area to create a delicate setting. The blues add a pop to the otherwise mellow space.

Details: Curves that add composure with their depth and feathery lightness.

A Play of Lines: Linear patterns in varying configurations add an element of interest. The crisscrossing console unit in white and gold stands boldly, exuding strong allure. 

The large living-dining volume anticipates its role as a repository of memories for the family to cherish for a lifetime. And by nature, memories are kaleidoscopic, often surfacing in fragments. As though a portrayal of this, a segmented set of sepia-tinted mirrors reflect the space capturing its stories as latent memory. Gold accents outline the mirrored array, rendering a touch of glamour. The play of lines and curves continues, this time to break symmetry, as one extreme segment of the wall features linear flutes while the other frames a composition of dashed mouldings. The white feature wall weaves patterns that break the monotone, yet does not cry for attention. A rounded doorway with a wooden jamb echoes the gentle curves and beckons one into the private quarters. 

Mirror mirror on the wall: Fragmented mirrors set off with gold accents are flanked by soft white lines crafted to make for an asymmetrical composition- a break from monotony. A wash of blue and grey in the dining space adds a stylish spunk. 

Curved configurations: The stylized sculptural dining table with a PVD gold coated base, assembled in parts, appears as though straight out of an art gallery. 

The living dining is a combination of earthy tones, pearl whites and gold accents- a modern-glam aesthetic with subtle sophistication. 

The kitchen was to be an area of intensive activity and had to be designed to be able to cater to large gatherings. With this in mind, the culinary space in tones of taupe is configured to perform efficiently and offer adequate storage to meet the working requirements. Dark-tinted fluted glass panels in the modular unit carry forth the pattern language. 

The kitchen in tones of taupe is designed for efficient operations to cater to social gatherings.

Ample storage equips the cooking space for handling intensive activity and the medium-toned colour allows for easy maintenance. 

As one enters the corridor flanking the living space, an iridescent glow invites divine aura. The sanctum of the home emerges in an ethereal backdrop of marble, cutout in a curvilinear profile, set aglow with backlighting. Golden brass letters of the holy mantras engraved on the stone glimmer with radiance. The dark oak wooden fluted backdrop contrasts with the brilliant white, creating a sturdy background for the shrine. 

Meditation in Marble: The wooden backdrop encapsulates the brass-embellished marble altar. Niches in the panelling hold sacred idols and religious artefacts. 

The worship space appears in a luminous glow, bound by fluted wooden panelling in a tone that forms a homogenous aesthetic along the corridor. 

One of the master bedrooms in blues and beiges is for the young couple- Keyur and Hemali. They wished for a tranquil space and agreed to go with soothing tones of blue. A powder blue bed custom designed in fabric upholstery has a headboard with curved edges that adds a soft dimension. A linear grooving pattern accentuates the bashful beige wall. Built-in wardrobes in a sleek steel-grey embellished with curved, gold accented door handles add shimmer to the subdued resting space. Organic forms continue in a console unit- all in a reposeful slate blue. The rhythmic linear flutings in wood complement the curves.

Neutral palettes of blues and beiges soak the resting space in an aura of equanimity. The dark wooden flooring anchors the bohemian lightness of the colours with reassuring solidity.

The study and television console units flow into one another with an overlap. A combination of the slate-blue matt laminates and white table top along with the backdrop of the wooden finish PVC fluted panel blend in harmony to become the focal point of the room. 

A vocabulary of lines and curves permeates the space as the beige wall is punctuated by linear grooves of a derived proportioning from the built-in unit. The bedside table follows this linearity, while the dressing area and the wardrobe door handles take on the expression of curves. A sprinkling of gold accents on the wardrobes adds shine. 

The couple’s newborn baby’s room even if a playful deviation from the rest of the bedrooms in terms of patterns, still blends into the overarching aesthetic. “Our baby was born during the process of design, and the fact that she was a girl child, came as a pleasant surprise. The colour palettes and patterns were picked spontaneously after the wonderful news came through!”, shares Hemali, the baby’s mother.  The space is in a pleasant palette of beige, taupe and dusty pink. A refreshing custom-made wallpaper of botanical prints brings in a savanna jungle vibe, its curved profile intersecting with lines, cutting across the corner, adding yet another interesting variation in the pattern language. 

The bold profile of the serene botanical-themed wallpaper juxtaposes playfulness with placidity- an apt combination for a child’s space. The dusty pink sofa cum bed ensures adequate floor space for play activities and becomes a convertible resting space when required.

The botanical-themed wallpaper echoes the greens on the balcony to bring an adventurous jungle vibe into the child’s space. Dark wooden flooring set off against the beiges and the dusty pink creates an earthy serenity. 

The third bedroom meant for Keyur’s sister is a continuation of the earthy colour palettes of grey and dusky rose. “We wanted to add a gentle twist in the grammar of the curve and the line in this bedroom- a gesture that brought in a prominent design aesthetic. Something that stood out, yet blended in.”, reflects Ninada Kashyap, Principal Architect at Alkove Design. Along these lines, a fluting panel on the wall gently dips into a segment of the headboard at an interface of soft curvature- the meeting of the yin and yang in an elegant intermingling of two elements. 

The final bedroom belongs to the elderly parents of the couple. Light dissolves into this muted space with quiet dignity and gentle grace. Fawn and blush pink hues infuse a state of tenderness. The sandy walls are punctuated with mouldings and it is these little details that add nuance to the space. 

The parents’ bedroom is set aglow in solemn shades of sandy pinks, beiges and grey. 

Intercepting the formal linearity of the stretch of wardrobes is a bold cantilevered planter box that projects out oblong. Offsetting above is a shelving unit that brings back the linear along the horizontal plane. The dressing mirror with gold accents responds to the curved projection as though deep in playful conversation.

The pattern language in Munot House strikes a balance through its placid yet persuasive vocabulary. Throughout the home, the patterns whisper to each other in an unspoken tête-à-tête. These elemental exchanges transmit to the inhabitants to influence them in myriad ways. The dwelling and the dweller continue to shape each other, and through these interactions blossoms a symbiotic relationship that only strengthens with time. 

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Project Details

Carpet Area:  2900 Sqft.

Project Architects: Alkove-Design, Pune