Design house for a family of four on a compact 1,500-square-foot plot, the client’s brief was deceptively simple yet highly demanding: they required a clean, secure, and minimalist 3-bedroom duplex that fiercely protected their privacy without sacrificing natural light or feeling claustrophobic.

The house derives its name from its defining feature: a striking brick jali facade that acts as a structural textile or “curtain” for the home. Facing a tight neighbourhood, the front elevation features a heightened entrance and a secure structural grid. The upper balcony, attached to the master bedroom, features a remarkable 15-foot-high, self-supporting double-brick jali wall. Built entirely without steel reinforcement through precise, patterned craftsmanship, this perforated brick screen effortlessly filters the harsh external environment. It allows cooling breezes, shifting patterns of light and shadow to animate the private zones, acting as a visual shield against the compact urban density.

This Bangalore Curtain House Turns a Brick Screen Into an Urban Shield |  Kalavibhinna Architects 

The design embraces a seamless material narrative where the exterior palette flows inward. The warmth of the wire-cut brick cladding transitions from the facade straight into the interior focal points: the foyer entrance wall, the custom TV unit, and the core staircase wall. 

A distinct geometric motif binds the architectural elements together. The bespoke main door—a modern, solid teak wood piece featuring integrated handles and custom embossments—sets a graphic theme. The house repeats these clean geometric lines across its custom railings and internal doors. Specialised flooring layouts carry the same language, pairing intricately patterned Trove vitrified tiles with rich local granite frames.

Foyer and Living area:

The home opens with a striking teak wood door that leads into a minimalist foyer. Warm brick cladding gives the entryway a tactile character. The same earthy palette flows into the clean, cohesive living area.

Dining area:

The ground floor functions as an open, fluid transition zone centered around a spacious dining area. Wrapped by a striking concrete stringer-beam staircase finished with granite treads, an MS railing, and a wooden handrail, this central volume connects the living areas to the kitchen, guest bedroom, and a serene pooja room.

Kitchen:

The kitchen itself embraces strict minimalism—a monochromatic, neutral-toned culinary space featuring a seamless quartz countertop and matching dadoing.

The Concrete Stringer Staircase:

To avoid a conventional, heavy block staircase, we designed a concrete stringer beam staircase. This floating structural profile was cast onsite and finished with local granite treads, a MS structural railing, and a warm wooden handrail. 

Guest bedroom:

Clean, inviting, and timeless, the guest bedroom relies on warm colors and rich wooden furniture to create a welcoming, comfortable retreat

Master Bedroom:

Centered around simplicity and warmth, this room transitions to the outdoor balcony through wooden folding doors, looking out onto the architectural brick jali.

Daughter’s bedroom is designed in pastel pink palate and white palette. Bedroom is designed with functions in mind and minimal design. It incorporates a long, integrated bay window seating area for reading, an attached study space. The design theme extends into the ensuite bathroom, which features retro salt-and-pepper dadoing paired with terrazzo flooring.

The 15-Foot Self-Supporting Brick Jali:

The defining architectural statement of the Curtain House facade also presented its greatest execution challenge. To achieve an uninterrupted 15-foot-high brick jali wall, we refused to go with the standard shortcut of internal steel support frames, we came up with a solution using a double-brick structural layout. Executing this required highly skilled, precision masonry and technique. The bricks were laid in a meticulous, self-stabilizing interlocking pattern that handles load and dead weight purely through gravity and structural geometry. 

Fact File

Designed by: Kalavibhinna Architects 

Project Type: Residential Architecture Design

Project Name: Curtain House 

Location: Nagadevanahalli, Bangalore

Year Built: 2025

Duration of the project: 20 Months

Project Size: 2900 Sq.ft

Principal Architect: Ar. Dhananjai.S.Kurle & Ar. Spoorthi.N

Photograph Courtesy: Ravi

Products / Materials / Vendors: Facade & Wall cladding – Wire-cut brick tile cladding and wire-cut brick for Jali / Construction Materials – Concrete Block / Doors – Teak Wood / Sanitary ware – Jaquar / Windows – Solid Wood / Flooring – Granite & Vitrified Tiles (Trove) / Terrace flooring – Kota finish Vitrified tile and WPC decking / Kitchen – Quarts Coun

Firm’s Website Link: Kalavibhinna Architects 

Firm’s Instagram Link: Kalavibhinna Architects

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