There are some who love the city life – abuzz with the casual chatter of people and the commotions of a fast-paced life. While there are others who rejoice in the quiet, and prefer staying away from the hustle-bustle – in a space that is calm and instills peace. The owners of this home were seeking one such resort and eventually bought a villa in the golf course society – far away from the main city. This triple bedroom, dual living leisure duplex is predominantly designed keeping a neutral color palette in mind. An understated aesthetic with fine details lent this home its charm and warmth the clients were seeking. And the abundance of natural light flooding in through all the spaces only added to its character.
The Dwelling of Deep Living: A Home that Cloaks Leisure and Luxury | U and I Designs
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The foyer sets the prelude of the design language carried throughout the home. It’s a bright little space, lit naturally with a full-size window. We designed a unit with a combination of storage and seating that was provided functionality. Paneling the frontal wall in rich wood textured flutes, we brought in a welcoming contrast to the white cabinetry. Black was introduced in the accessories and this completed the whole picture ever so perfectly. To amp the interest, we chose an oversized cane pendant which provided a warm glow of light in the evenings. The other big takeaway was the textured fabric we chose for the blinds of the window. A gorgeously embroidered fabric in an ikat pattern weaved with grays, blacks, and off-whites gave a whole new dimension to this space.
Getting into the double-height living through an arched entryway, one would instantly appreciate the minimalism of this beautiful space. This bare essential living space was conceptualized keeping in mind its petiteness. A compact media unit stands purposefully at one end and we added a floating ledge for some additional storage. While designing the unit, we raised the cabinet off the floor and provided it with sleek legs in order to reduce the bulk of the floor space. Applying the same principle to the sofa, we custom-made a sleek sage green sectional which sat perfectly in the space. Unable to find the right-sized nested tables for our living, we went ahead to custom-make these as well.
Carved out in solid wood and rounded edges for this compact living, this set sure makes a statement. For the double-height wall, we designed simple wooden trims zoning out the rest of the wall and finished it with a concrete texture that sat so well with the vibe of the living. Cane was the only missing element in this aesthetic which we introduced in our gorgeous fiber and wicker chandelier that exuded a soft glow in the space.
The living extends into the dining space that is again conceptualized in complementary tones of browns, blacks and grays. A clean lined, solid wood dining table takes that center stage which is perfectly complimented with gray upholstered chairs. We chose a brass and black svelte light fixture to hang above the dining table – imparting an understated elegance in the whole scene. We envisioned a modest crockery cabinet standing tall, providing for the owner’s storage needs.The whole idea of the design was to keep it from looking bulky, yet have a personality that stood out. We made the carcass in wooden texture and added a sharp contrast with black profile glass shutters, through which one could witness the stunning terrazzo countertop and stately black knobs inside. Alluring at its best.
The kitchen however speaks a story of its own. We experimented with the whole look and went ahead to provide a striking contrast in its demeanor when compared to the other spaces. Opening up the space with an arch, a breakfast counter and wooden textured flooring, we created an engaging divide. We used tiles in graded terracotta tones under the breakfast counter, that sat pretty in full view from the living and dining. Not only was it visually impactful but also set the base for what lay ahead. We designed the cabinetry in a classic appeal with bottle green hues of shaker shutters and rather sober white lofts, pairing it with a seamless white countertop and backsplash. The intent was to have a showstopper of a kitchen without the heaviness that the color could have brought in.
The lower level had a room for their teenage son and we designed it in complete accordance with his personality. The layout was kept simple with wardrobes enclosing the sides of the bed. An ice blue tone was chosen as the base color and the scheme of things at the headboard wall was made pretty interesting. We customized a tan fabric headboard that bridged the blue and all the other colors that played on over the wall. With all his favorite character posters up here, this side of the room was the most engaging of all. With a lot going on at the headboard wall, we kept the other side of the room minimal with a utilitarian study corner customized to his needs. An interesting addition, however, was the fabric we chose for the curtains with the keen interest taken by the teenager himself in selecting those. The striped-on blue linen fabric was a fascinating introduction that completed the design story of this room seamlessly.
Up at the next level, the space opens up into a family room beside the double height. Our idea here was to keep this space snug as it would predominantly be used by the family for some TV time. We visualized a tone-on-tone treatment here with a sensual jade green leather sofa and the same green on the wall. Initially the clients were skeptic about this whole idea, worrying much about the overdose of green. However, with some convincing they finally gave in – bestowing their trust in the design sensibility (we were super confident about this given we had abundance of natural light in this area to back our idea up) and there – we had a space that looked exotic and bewitching to say the least. And what more, this was the perfect spot from where one could appreciate the double height chandelier at close range – looking beguiling.
Of the 2 rooms on the upper floor, one was the guest bedroom. Usually a space where most of the owners tend to overlook in terms of design details – this one has a different tale to tell. The clients were as interested in turning this space around as any other space in the home and we seized this opportunity. We created an indulging experience in this room with an all-nude palette and accents of exquisite matt black.
Centering our design on the camelback printed headboard in the initial mood board phase itself, we chose a blue-gray chic flora-fauna printed fabric for this masterpiece. Textured nude paint on all the walls was the other compelling factor in this design.
Elegant but not overwhelming. Right opposite the bed, we added a pretty chest of drawers – sleek and with exposed metal legs, styling it to perfection with accented black lamps and a gorgeous floral art in rust tones. On the other end, with a full wall at our disposal, we designed a wardrobe with a built-in study, arching out the study corner – giving it its own sense of space. The classic wood and white combination only added beautifully to this narrative.
The last, however, the most captivating room of this home – the master bedroom – is a magical recital of design in itself. This cleverly resulted in an extra closet.Then we started mood boarding for this room with a 4-poster bed in vision. And everything else seamlessly followed. Unlike the guest room, apart from the base neutral palette we decided to involve an accent color – an edgy blue. Keeping this color only as an accent we designed the chest of drawers and the nightstands in this. Pairing it with soft wood tones gave a completely balanced look to this space. We introduced antique brass in our hardware and fancy light fixtures and that added the much-needed glamour to the room of the masters.
The layout also allowed for a bay window seating that we conceptualized facilitating some additional storage and the clients loved us for that. In the closet area we got back that hint of blue by having the wardrobe shutters finished with a combination of a delightful floral blue wallpaper and wooden textures. We love how this brought about such a delicate touch to this area as well. Up above, we adorned the ceiling with faux wooden beams to facilitate the lighting situation as well as take the eye all the way up to the expanse of the room. The room looked no less than a beautifully peaceful holiday retreat.
Fact File
Designed by: U and I Designs
Project Type: Residence Interior Design
Location: Bangalore, Karnataka
Project Name: Dwelling of Deep Living
Project Size: 2400 Sq.ft
Year Built: 2022
Principal designer: Sonal R Mutha & Aniketh Bafna
Team Design Credits: Sonali Metri
Photograph Courtesy: Parth Swaminath & PhxIndia
Products & Materials: Lights: Sunshine Boulevard, Fab India, Olie Living, Black Steel, Stello Lights, The Purple Lights | Rug: Gulmohar Lane, Rug Republic, Rugberry | Wall arts: Best of Bharat, Opaque Studio, Calcuttan, Nook at you
Firm’s Website Link: U and I Designs
Firm’s Instagram Link: U and I Designs
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