When one thinks of Nordic design a very clear image forms – a space that at its core imbibes minimalism and understated design. The language is complemented by a palette of soft neutral colours, light wood and warm metal accents. This 4-bedroom apartment for a family of five showcases the characteristic minimalism of Nordic design that has been flipped on its head by a dark colour palette of greys and black. The starkness has been softened by introducing seamless curved geometry, the warmth of wood and a hint of ‘Azul’ to the palette.
On entering, one is greeted by an alcove – a space to pause. The niche creates an arresting visual with a light wood bench, a minimal wall art installation and the curved geometry of the walls and ceiling. The bench is a doubly curved surface which emphasizes its geometry and builds upon the language of the soft curves. The designer has used soft curves as a design tool and started scooping out spaces to create thresholds. Continuing this design language into the smaller bits of product design– coffee table, bar console – where these geometries then continue to generate their form. Extending further, wall art installations are created to have a better dialogue with the primary design language rather than going for off-the-shelf options.
The entrance alcove leads to the social areas of the home with the living room on the right and dining area on the left. The two are separated by a linear, vertically slatted partition. One of the challenging spaces was the dining room. By virtue of placement, the dining room has no direct source of natural light as it’s wedged between living and bedroom space.
The challenge was to get the natural light into the space. This issue was resolved by having a slatted partition that extended the entire length between living and dining space.
One enters in a niche, which allows a pause and does not directly enter into the space. The bench at the entrance is a doubly curved surface which emphasizes its geometry and hence builds upon the language of the fillet(soft curves). There are tiny moves in the entire house e.g.- Coffee table, Bar console where these geometries then continue to generate their form.
Due to its central location, the dining area becomes the apartment’s main transitional space connecting the social areas with the bedrooms. The strategically placed soft curves create niches that smoothen the flow across spaces to follow the crux of overall planning. Following the flow from the dining area, one is subtly led to the master bedroom, which is preceded by the curvilinear temple space. At the heart of the house, this object was designed in a way to create privacy and at the same time give a hint of the space within.
The master bedroom is characterised by subtle visuals with one interesting accent being the fluted panels on opposite sides of the room. Awash in a palette of grey and wood, a pop of blue in the wall art creates a delicate yet striking effect. A pared back, almost industrial-style four poster bed adds a layer of understated grandeur.
What’s remarkable about the design is that even though the home is dominated by darker colours there exists a sense of lightness to the language. The design process was envisioned to do justice to the Nordic genre by practicing control and consistency throughout the space. The hope was to create a (home) that was fluid, seamless, soft, functional and unique.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-E1K6bEfc
Team:
Lead Architects: Ar. Amit Khanolkar & Ar. AdvaitPotnis
Design Team: Ar. Sayali Jadhav (designing), Ar. Fenil Gala (project management)
Client: Mr. Jayprakash Nishad
Carpentry and Artwork: Jagdish Mistry
Material Used:
1. Bo Concept: Hampton corner sofa, Veneto chair with swivel function
2. Tonon: Concept Chair Upholstered 902
3. Grohe: Grohe Smart Controls
4. Toto
5. Lutron Automation
