ACKM Studio and Studio Way reimagine the modern Indian residence through proportion, light, and materiality, crafting a home that is monumental yet deeply personal.
In Indore's leafy neighborhoods stands Ekya, a 30,000 square foot residence designed by ACKM Studio for Garima and Anshuman Kedia and their family of five. The name, derived from Sanskrit, translates to oneness, unity, and individuality – a concept that shaped both the architecture and the way the family experiences their home. The residence is conceived as a balance of contrasts: monumental yet comfortable, bold yet understated, expansive yet deeply personal.
Aneri Mehta and Khushali Chawda, in collaboration with Vartika Jangid of Studio Way, envisioned a home that could support the demands of multi-generational living while reflecting a contemporary, minimalist sensibility. Their approach places equal emphasis on architectural scale and emotional resonance. The project reflects the complex rhythms of modern family life, where formal entertaining must coexist seamlessly with everyday rituals. The scope of work spanned the complete interiors of the villa, as well as the outhouse and dedicated party area, bringing consistency of vision across the family’s lifestyle spaces.
A Home of Unity and Individuality
At its core, Ekya investigates the sophisticated interplay of contrasting elements. Grandeur is achieved through proportion, natural light, and material integrity rather than decorative excess. Bold architectural statements emerge alongside subtle gestures, creating spaces that breathe with intention. The residence operates across multiple modes – formal and informal, public and private spaces come together while maintaining a consistent vocabulary of materials and forms that unifies diverse areas into a coherent whole.
ACKM Studio's methodology is rooted in emotion-driven design, prioritizing how spaces make people feel, not just how they function. This philosophy extends throughout the house. From the strategic use of natural light to define mood, to the careful selection of textures and finishes that create continuity, each space has its own distinct character.
Where Grandeur Meets Restraint
From the street, Ekya hints at its scale, but the full experience begins when the monumental teakwood door opens to reveal a soaring double-height atrium. Sunlight floods through floor-to-ceiling glazing, illuminating white marble floors that flow seamlessly throughout the space. Soft-toned stone cladding provides textural contrast while grounding the volume visually.
This central space functions as more than an architectural centerpiece. It serves as the home's organizing element, directing movement while bridging public and private realms. Two sculptural curved walls elegantly conceal building services, transforming necessary infrastructure into architectural features. A split staircase in richly veined marble rises with deliberate drama, establishing vertical circulation as celebration rather than mere function.
This atrium sets the tone for the entire home: open, light-filled, and precise in its detailing, creating shifting atmospheres throughout the day as natural light patterns change across its surfaces.
Hospitality with Refinement
The formal living room achieves understated elegance through white marble flooring and warm teakwood wall paneling that frames ivory-toned furniture. The generous proportions allow pieces to breathe within the space, while a commanding artwork by Kodanda Rao Teppala provides expressive focal interest against the restrained material palette.
The adjoining formal dining area centers on an eighteen-seater marble table, a sculptural element that draws attention through sheer material presence and scale. Deliberately understated hand-finished chairs surround this centerpiece, allowing the table's monumental character to dominate. Together, these spaces embody hospitality that feels refined yet genuinely welcoming, formal but never intimidating.
Life at Home
The informal lounge and dining area captures the authentic heart of family life through tactile materials and relaxed arrangements. Walnut wood flooring provides warmth underfoot, while solid teakwood paneling creates a rich backdrop for the media area. Blue-toned sofas and armchairs introduce vibrant color contrast, establishing an atmosphere that feels both grounded and lively.
A square wooden dining table anchors the space with intimate scale, creating the perfect setting for daily meals and casual conversation. This area deliberately contrasts with the formal zones, prioritizing comfort and family connection over architectural grandeur while maintaining the home's overall design sophistication.
A Private World Within
The master suite unfolds as a carefully orchestrated sequence of experiences. The journey begins with a passage lined in textured Arte wallpaper, leading to two grand sliding doors that open into a bedroom where restraint becomes luxury through precise material choices.
A softly veined marble bed-back sourced from Stone Resource creates a serene focal wall, while Minotti's Lawrence Bed anchors the room with refined proportions. Custom-made wooden side tables add handcrafted warmth to balance the polished stone surfaces.
An adjoining private den takes a dramatically different approach where black and white tones dominate the space, punctuated by vibrant green Squiggle armchairs and carefully selected pieces including the Metrie Sideboard, Oris Collection unit and modular sofa system by Wriver. Eleven curated artworks by Buddhadev Mukherjee create visual rhythm throughout the room. The contrast between the bedroom's calm serenity and the den's creative energy demonstrates the family's desire for both peaceful retreat and artistic expression within their private quarters.
Work with Presence
The private office functions as an enveloping cocoon designed for concentration and focus. Dark walnut flooring grounds the space, while corten steel-finish ceramic tiles wrap the ceiling and wall surfaces in a moody shell that suggests both industrial sophistication and sculptural intent.
A bespoke system of large fluted sliding screens provides storage solutions while contributing rhythmic texture that softens the harder material palette. Above the central conference table, a sculptural light fixture in onyx and leather provides both functional illumination and artistic presence. The result is a studio-like environment that enhances clarity and concentration while maintaining connection to the home's emotional resonance.
Guest Retreats with Character
The guest suites create distinct personalities within a unified framework. The first guest bedroom explores black and white contrasts through veneer paneling and fluted detailing against crisp white walls. A deep blue upholstered bed softens the monochromatic drama, while artworks from Gradient.in and Calcuttan Gallery add visual texture. The ensuite bathroom continues this refined approach through beige and brown marble surfaces.
The second guest suite embraces natural warmth through teak wood paneling and subtle molding details, accented by measured applications of black stone veneer. A single green armchair provides color punctuation, echoing a piece from the Gondwana Art Project that creates visual continuity between art and interior. The ensuite bathroom extends this green palette through two-toned marble surfaces, accessed via a camouflaged door that integrates seamlessly with the wall.
Spaces of Expression
Several areas deliberately break away from the home's otherwise restrained tone, creating moments of dynamic energy and specialized function. The bar represents the residence's most exuberant space with bold geometric terrazzo inlay flooring that create striking visual patterns, while the bar itself showcases innovative construction through glass blocks that play with light and transparency. Copper-engraved shutters add handcrafted artistry, while a back-painted glass ceiling and dramatic aubergine walls establish a celebratory atmosphere for social gatherings.
The nursery takes the opposite approach with soothing sage green tones, custom wallpaper by Wallpaper Scissors, and an organic flowing ceiling design that creates a gentle and calming environment for the youngest family member. This thoughtful contrast demonstrates the architects' understanding that different family members require distinct atmospheric qualities.
Movement as Experience
Even in transitional spaces, Ekya maintains design intention. Corridors feature vertical fluting details flanking doorways, breaking up linear geometry while creating wave-like shadow patterns that shift with changing natural light. These carefully considered thresholds transform movement through the home from simple circulation into experiential sequence, reinforcing the belief that thoughtful design extends into every aspect of the residential environment.
Through precise attention to material authenticity, spatial proportion, and the choreography of natural light, ACKM Studio has created a residence that truly embodies its Sanskrit namesake. Ekya achieves oneness through the thoughtful composition of individual elements, each essential to the harmonious whole – a home that reflects the family's identity while establishing new possibilities for luxury residential design in India.
