At the southern edge of New Delhi, where the city eases into the quiet vastness of Asola’s forested landscape, a different rhythm of living begins. Known for its sprawling farmland estates and weekend retreats, Asola Farms has become a canvas for a new home that function as sanctuaries as well as spectacular gathering spaces. This is a place where architecture embraces both leisure and luxury, creating environments that impress, restore, and belong to a slower pace of life.
Editor’s Note: Zarrah, designed by Design Ethics Studio, merges leisure with luxury, moving beyond the conventions of traditional dwelling to create a more contemporary spatial experience. The project reflects a thoughtful reimagining, where the façade has been redesigned to resonate with the contemporary interior language. Every design decision is rooted in functionality, while handcrafted furniture and refined material detailing add depth and elegance to the spaces.
A New Home In Delhi Is The Canvas For A Sanctuary And Gatherings | Design Ethics Studio
Within four acres of manicured greens, Zarrah rises as a residence that reimagines hospitality through architectural intent. Designed by Poulomi Dhar and Jatin Gupta, the home steps away from the idea of a traditional dwelling. Instead, it becomes a place designed for lingering, hosting, and creating moments, where comfort, tactility, and visual drama shape every experience.
The house carried a past life with its own constraints. An existing HVAC system, a pool that could not be demolished, and the structural footprint of the previous building posed challenges. Rather than diminishing the potential of the project, these became opportunities for creative intervention. The architects re-envisioned the entire façade to mirror the contemporary interior language. Polished stone meets cedarwood, blackened steel interacts with glass, and a layered exterior hints at the richness inside.
Functionality anchored every design decision. The home had to welcome ten close friends on a quiet evening yet also accommodate five hundred guests across its lawns. Fluid transitions became essential. They choreographed circulation patterns so that rooms open into one another seamlessly. Expansive doors allow the indoors to merge with garden vistas, letting the architecture expand or contract as needed.
At the heart of the home, the Drawing Room embodies elegance. Custom furniture in muted tones sits against marble wall cladding that feels expressive and painterly. Brass accents appear subtly, adding quiet opulence, while a bespoke chandelier becomes a suspended sculpture.
The mood intensifies in the Party Den. Here, velvet textures, a monolithic marble bar and a striking red lacquered fireplace create a space designed for long nights and deep conversations. The pool, once a constraint, was transformed into an indoor retreat through an intensive engineering process, adding an intimate pocket of calm.
The private quarters shift into deeper palettes and softer compositions. Wood panelling, fabric-clad walls and sculptural headboards create rooms that restore. Throughout, customisation is the home’s primary language, expressed through handcrafted furniture, bespoke lighting and material detailing. Even the integration of the old HVAC system was resolved with engineering precision, ensuring comfort without visual compromise.
Zarrah ultimately celebrates presence. It invites, it glows, and it holds every moment with intention, offering guests the sense of being exactly where they were meant to be.
FACT FILE:
Design Firm: Design Ethics Studio
Project Type: Residential Architecture & Interiors Design
Project Name: Zarrah
Location: New Delhi
Plot Area: 4 acres
Built-up area: 12,000 sqft.
Completion: February 2025
Design Team: Ar. Poulomi Dhar & Jatin Gupta
Photograph Courtesy: Atul Pratap Chauhan
Text by: Yamini Vaswani
Products / Materials / Vendors: Finishes – Ventura, Duro, Oikos, ICA / Wallcovering, Cladding – Alteno, Unistone / Construction Materials – Ultratech, Tata Steel / Lighting – Katalite / Doors and Partitions – custom / Sanitaryware – Toto / Windows – Window magic, Alupure / Furniture – custom / Flooring – Imported Marble / Kitchen – custom / Paint – ICA / Artefacts – OMA, Address Home / Wallpaper – custom / Hardware – Hettich, Yale
Firm’s Website Link: Design Ethics Studio
Instagram Link: Design Ethics Studio
Facebook Link: Design Ethics Studio
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