At Architectural Direction, our design ethos is anchored in creating spaces that are emotionally evocative, sensorially rich, and deeply rooted in their context. Over the past 25 years, our practice has evolved toward a nuanced, context-responsive modernism. It delicately balances the timeless principles of Indian spatial planning with the precision and clarity of contemporary design. M-Townhouse is a single-family residence set within a densely built urban fabric. The absence of natural light and ventilation on three sides presented a complex challenge. Rather than resist the site’s constraints, we embraced them as an invitation to innovate. The spatial strategy centred on the introduction of a light well with triple-height volumes, internal courtyards, and layered transparency. Glass partitions were designed to orchestrate a sense of openness, luminosity, and spatial dialogue.
The architecture embraces a restrained yet warm language, crafted through tonal minimalism, tactile materials, and a sculptural central staircase that gently anchors the spatial flow. The result is a home that feels expansive and grounded. Here architecture fosters connection, quietude, and an ever-present sense of belonging.
The architects conceived the entrance to M-Townhouse as a restrained yet refined overture. It is an architectural pause that delicately introduces the experiential narrative unfolding within. Anchored by clarity of geometry and subtle material interplay, the foyer is not merely transitional but ceremonial in its function.
It gently buffers the shift from the external staircase to the interior, choreographing a moment of stillness before revealing the spatial crescendo of the triple-height volumes beyond. Warm lighting, muted textures, and an intentional sparseness lend the space a meditative quality. This measured introduction offers a sense of anticipation and introspection, establishing a tone of composed elegance that threads through the rest of the home.
The Pooja room occupies the emotional and spatial nucleus of the residence, rising as a triple-height sanctum that consecrates stillness and light. Crowned by a skylight that modulates daylight across the day, the space is imbued with a contemplative, almost celestial aura. It is not merely a room, but a volumetric expression of reverence – quiet, grounded, and ethereal. Located between the living and dining zones, it serves as both an axis and anchor, bridging the secular with the sacred. Transparent partitions preserve the sanctity of the space while allowing light to wash gently across its periphery. The central void then serves as a vessel of luminosity, silence, and spiritual pause — a space where scale is wielded not for grandeur, but for grace.
Situated between the kitchen and the sacred volume of the Pooja room, the Dining Area operates as the social fulcrum of the home. It is a place where nourishment, conversation, and ritual coalesce. Rejecting enclosure and instead embracing spatial permeability. It uses slender glass and aluminium partitions that define the space while preserving visual continuity.
Soft, ambient luminosity fills the space as diffused daylight gently filters in from the adjacent skylit volumes.
A traditional service hatch connecting the kitchen introduces a nostalgic, utilitarian charm, while material choices echo the broader palette of the home – warm, light, and seamless. The result is a dining environment that transcends function, inviting lingering, storytelling, and the celebration of the everyday.
The staircase at M-Townhouse emerges not as a structural necessity, but as an architectural spectacle – a suspended sculpture that threads the home vertically with grace and precision. Rising through its own triple-height void, the cantilevered spiral form achieves both visual lightness and spatial drama.
Crafted with dual identities, it features a fluid, parametric wooden handrail on one flank – soft, tactile, and integrated with hidden lighting and a contrasting CNC-cut mild steel balustrade on the other, offering a crisp, contemporary counterpoint.
Above, a custom-designed spiral chandelier traces the geometry of the stair, culminating at a skylight that orchestrates a cascade of daylight. Framed by bespoke concrete wall panels, this vertical volume becomes a study in material harmony, spatial continuity, and artisanal detail.
Conceived as a private haven within the larger narrative of the home, the Master Bedroom embodies the principles of restful luxury and spatial introspection. Functioning as a self-contained suite, it is composed of a generously sized sleeping area, a walk-in dressing space, and a finely detailed en suite bathroom – each flowing seamlessly into the next.
A private terrace extension blurs the boundary between inside and out, reinforcing a sense of calm and openness. The palette is deliberately subdued: soft neutrals, tactile finishes, and refined textures lend the room an atmosphere of quiet sophistication. Eschewing overt ornamentation, the space embraces a language of curated restraint – where every detail, though subtle, speaks of intention and elegance.
Fact File
Designed by: Architectural Direction
Project Type: Residential Architecture AND Residential Interior Design
Project Name: M-Townhouse
Location: New Delhi
Year Built: Dec 2024
Duration of the project: 2022-2024
Project Size: 11,000 Sq. Ft.
Principal Architect: Ar Ajay Gulati
Design Team: Ar. Harivansh, Ar. Kanika Gulati
Photograph Courtesy: Prateek Studio
Products / Materials / Vendors: Wallcovering, Cladding – Century, Asian Paints / Lighting – Phillips / Doors and Partitions – Art’n’Glass / Facade Systems – Art’n’Glass / Furniture – Customized / Flooring – White Italian-Michaelangelo Paint – Asian Paints / Wallpaper – Asian Paints
Consultants for the Project: Civil – Structure engineers – Beniwal & associates / Civil – Beniwal & associates / Structure Engineers – Beniwal & associates / Interior Styling – Ar. Kanika Gulati
Firm’s Website Link: Architectural Direction
Instagram Link: Architectural Direction
Facebook Link: Architectural Direction
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