P&S Residence

Location: Bangalore, India
Photo credits: Dev Ambardekar & P N Shanavas

The project brief for this residential interior design in Bangalore was to rework the design of the existing unit the family occupied and design the new space they had bought to meet their growing needs. The new apartment was located below the one they presently occupied.

The residence had two levels, giving us the opportunity to clearly define the public, semi-public, and private spaces. A tying element between the two levels was expressed as an unplastered burnt brick wall, spanning the entire height of both floors and painted white. The client wanted to maintain the existing living room and entertainment spaces on the first floor of the house design. Hence, as opposed to conventional homes, this one has its living room on the first floor and bedrooms on the ground floor. A metal staircase descends from the living room on the first floor to the library space on the ground floor which becomes the heart of the home.

A large floor-to-ceiling bookcase takes center stage in the library area.  An IPS floor with brass strips was added to bring an earthy quality to the interior space. To keep the civil modifications to a minimum and to save space,  storage units double up as walls. The acquired ground floor opened up to a green space, which allowed for the private spaces of the house, – the bedrooms to open up into a large garden area.

Some of the interior spaces in the house were narrow and deep making light a pressing issue in these spaces. To overcome this challenge, glass blocks were used to construct the walls of these spaces.  Bright colours like limes and yellows were used to brighten up the interior.

The client is an avid traveler with an eye for good artwork. Some of the interiors are fashioned for the pieces picked up in the course of his travels.