Panchgani Villa | HS Desiigns

HS Desiigns work is focused on being design and content driven. The client, was an old acquaintance and the project was commissioned owing to the firm’s positive word of mouth publicity.

The Brief:

The client was clear about his requirements and didn’t change his mind about anything throughout the process. Since it was to be a second home that the family planned on visiting for just two or three days at a time, he didn’t want to spend time cleaning up the place. One important point to be considered was the hill station’s notorious reputation for moisture seepage during torrential monsoons. The client’s requirement was no extra furniture, no clutter, low on maintenance, and functional interiors.

Detailed Design Note:

The intent was to create a villa that would exude a sense of tradition mixed with contemporary elements. Therefore an edgy design was experimented with distinctive 21st century settings. The second home was to be built right on the edge of the valley — therefore optimizing views of the mountains and nature with amazing light exposure became paramount.

Execution note:

Colonial at heart and contemporary in style, the villa design set amidst the hilly terrain of Panchgani was executed with keen attention paid to optimizing function and ease of maintenance. The elevation with floor-to-ceiling windows not only capitalizes on the scenic view but also allows copious amount of light to flow into the villa — letting the design strike a dialogue with its surroundings.

Merging Indian elements with colonial styling, the well-ventilated living room of the Panchgani villa showcases smart, maintenance-free aesthetics. While the initial flooring material of choice was Kota stone, the unwelcome variations in tone turned the design team’s attention to anti-skid Kota-lookalike tiles — which fulfilled the considerations of fidelity to style and ease of upkeep in one go. Similarly, interiors walls were finished in exterior-grade paints owing to high humid conditions of the site.

Open kitchens narrate a story about togetherness; about family, food and gatherings — particularly apt for a holiday villa. The villa’s open kitchen, with the dado created from the same tiles as the flooring, creates a feeling of abundant space owing to the judiciously selected minimal material palette. The two tall vertical units featuring mirror and delicate fret-work create an illusion of transparency, and envelope pragmatic considerations with elegant aesthetics.

The double-height dining room of the villa affords stunning views of the scenic surroundings. The flooring features a border of Kota stone, with a carpet-like detail of interlocked cobalt and ochre tile. Detailed like china mosaic, this element finds harmonious ties in the adjacent staircase, whose risers are delicately highlighted with blue and yellow handmade tiles. The double-height volume of the dining space is tempered with circular POP medallions painted with Mediterranean blues and aquas. The well detailed, customized and made-on-site dining table completes the picture of cheerful verve.

Utilizing the ceiling height, at the centre of the second floor of this villa nestles a snug, country-styled living room. Furnished inventively with a combination of terracotta and printed tiles on the floor, a wooden ceiling, and customized, carved wooden sofas, this space does well for an interesting private terrace lounge.

With focus on minute detailing and innovative utilization of materials, the design team have successfully created a vivacious second home that is geared to let the home-owners extract the maximum out of their holiday.

Fact file

Location: Panchgani, Maharashtra

Area: 4,600 sq. ft.

Concept & interior design: HS Desiigns

Principal Designer / Creative director: Hitesh Shahanand