The challenge of client requirements in design sensibility is often a stumbling block in our practice. What is even more challenging is to find clients who will then live the lifestyle intended for the space created. We were fortunate to find aesthetically driven clients who also lived a lifestyle catering to the aesthetics generated. The residence is truly a manifestation of the inhabitants; Minimalist, Reflective and Structured. As designers we have a propensity to stylize/design a particular space often superseding the intrinsic quality of the space. It is this realization of this quality and a close observation of the inhabitants lifestyle which begins the process of distillation rather than a process of elimination allowing for the design to be more democratic rather than regimental. The imagery of this design is a constant balance between ideas, experience and its symbolic value. An idea often arises from an experience which may vary from physical to metaphysical (spiritual). Fluid spaces have been designed to co-exist in an envelope with different functions. The dialogue between spaces is equally important as is the dialogue between the objects within itself. This dialogue is accentuated when objects confront their paradigm and begin to manifest in another form. This very idea helps to evolve the design development process where a storage unit transforms into a screen for the study and furniture helps to define spaces within an envelope. Programmatically, the apartment was a four bedroom unit. One bedroom gave way to a charming terrace and another bedroom was converted into an open study. The space is configured such that the public (semi-private) areas - Living, Dining, Study and Terrace - form a rectangle with the terrace nestling in the pivot of the ‘L’ formed by the other three. The demarcation of functional zones is achieved by furniture placement, rather than partitioning it with walls. Like, there is no line clearly demarcating the dining and the living areas. A Linear TV unit positioned between them helps demarcate the two spaces. Also, there would be nothing to stop the furniture from being swapped around; a TV unit today might become a bench tomorrow. The entire apartment was treated like a gradual unfolding of events, with successive functional pockets acting as a chain of events. That’s why the first functional pocket that one encounters is a simple steel n box apron holding a Ganesha idol. The steel and box apron further acts as a punctuation between the entrance and dining area. The first important functional pocket that one comes across is the dining area with its brushed steel and Kota legs supporting a white marble top accompanied by white leather chairs. In the living area, one of the two ceiling beams is a fake beam. The beams swoop down to turn into a pair of brick pillars, which partially hide the entrance to the bedrooms, keeping the visual continuity intact, thus emphasizing on the idea of a fluid volume with varying levels of transparencies. The furniture used is minimalist, multi-functional and at some places a few architectural elements have been put to good use as seating. The living room, for instance, cleverly utilizes an architectural projection- making the sofa the sole movable piece in the setting. The open study, shielded from the rest of the living space by a storage bank ‘wall’, takes care of books, DVDs, files, etc. A water body features in the configuration of the living area. It establishes a relationship with the interiors and the terrace. It is introduced into the project as a meditative tool at the request of the client. The soft tinkling of running water resonated in the residence - creating a calm, serene, luxurious environment. The wooden bench that forms a part of both the main living area and the terrace is the only deviation from the white/ grey colour palette. The terrace, a rare “oasis” in an urban residence was designed to have an interspatial relationship with the interiors. The residential apartment has been opened up to create vistas to the terrace. The living, dining and study all begin to unite with each other in relation with the terrace. In the terrace, a large light box afloat above an in-situ table and built-in seating - the Zen approach further magnified.

D Apartment was done in Atelier Design N Domain Partners are-Anand Menon and Shobhan Kothari Credits for photography-sebastian Zachariah Web site : www.adnd.in.