Hundred-Year-Old Colonial Bungalow  Meets Modern Tropical Lifestyle | MuseLAB

Set amidst a two-acre property in Pune this hundred-year-old colonial bungalow is bestowed with serenity and being cut off from the din of the city; is placed within a sprawling garden on all sides. The home interiors over time have been adapted to meet the needs of its inhabitants and their modern tropical lifestyle. The clients entrusted us with the responsibility of giving the living and dining spaces which form the heart of the home a new lease on life. The sheer volume of the bungalow, the client’s love for various Indian art forms and their love for colour sowed the seeds of inspiration to deliver something exceptional.

We set out with the task of creating an experience with a play of patterns and colour that was not only visually rich but also tactile in nature. Therefore we decided to treat the floor space as our canvas to create a contemporary and resplendent Rangoli pattern in terrazzo. The narrative of the furniture and it’s placement is reflective of the nature of the floor pattern. The midpoint of the pattern emerges from the living room which bleeds into the formal dining space as a series of concentric rings.

Taking cues from historic Indian structures to soften the transition between rooms and spaces we created arches and arched openings and an arcade too that looks towards the north eastern lawns of the property. Every piece of furniture was customized, the core idea being that we wanted to create a gallery of furniture pieces which were not only exclusive but also contextual to this space. Simultaneously, we wanted to celebrate the extravagant volumes of the two rooms by keeping the ceilings as bare as possible with the primary focus being on the suspended sculptural elements and the refurbished roof structural elements.

 The design is maximalist, a style that is bold, welcomes diverse aesthetics, excessiveness, decadence, and extravagance by breaking traditional design conventions. Spaces and furniture have been composed by layering colors and patterns to create depth. The motif of the arch has been reinforced in various forms; the chariot unit that has been crafted using Nigerian teak and the dusty pink semi-circular sofa. The play of scale with repetition of elements and layering of materials is what creates the harmony amidst the organized chaos. It is the excess which brings a sense of unity to the entire space. More is more here.

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Design firm:  MuseLAB

Principal Designers – Huzefa Rangwala, Jasem Pirani, Namrata Tidke

Jasem Pirani

Namrata Tidke