This home borrows vernacular design elements & adopts a minimalistic approach with simple details, embracing an earthy material palette. This house is set amidst the solitude of the Tata Motors Senior Officer’s Colony in Pune. Well-grown trees and the chirping of birds characterize the place, where varieties of Champas dot the woods, Peltoforums turn the paths yellow as they fall, and the onset of spring is signaled by the pink Tabubeas.

Editor’s Note: “Embraced by trees and the chirping of birds, this residence in Pune adopts minimalism and borrows elements of vernacular architecture. Its earthy material selection and meticulous layout imbue the space with an aura of serene tranquillity. Every design element engages the user in a dialogue with the trees, water body and the captivating shadows.” ~Simran Khare

This Home Borrows Vernacular Design Elements | Silhouette Architects & Designers

The design embraces an earthy material palette, borrows vernacular design elements & adopts a minimalistic approach with very simple details to characterize this peaceful home.

Several pauses or transitions punctuate the built form, forming a narrative that harmonizes with the surrounding environment.

This home is about the opportunities to take a pause or a ‘viraam” to experience & enjoy the little gifts of nature as the sun peeps in, the shadows play, the rain drops, the bird chirps & the surrounding trees reflect on the shimmering water.

The Veranda in front engages in a dialogue with the well-grown Peltoforum trees all along just outside the front compound wall, through their reflections on the water body and the patterns they create on the green lawn as the sun dapples through their leaves.

The courtyard is another major pause that communicates with the sky & surrounding trees. It brings in patterns of sunrays & shadows on its double height walls. It altogether comes right up to the Family space on the second floor that overlooks this courtyard.

The high wall at the upper level, becomes a screen dotted with square punctures to hide the neighbor’s home. This allows a view of the greenery beyond.

The study nook at the mid landing level by the existing neem tree also overlooks into this courtyard through a Jharokha. All these elements together team up, to enhance the experience of these spaces through their interrelation with each other & ultimately with the outside.

The indoors are about a continuous dialogue with the surroundings, as space flows fluidly between the various volumes. These spaces are characterized by a restrained material palette. The textures in subtle grey & white act as a backdrop to complement the predominant red of the bricks & the warm brown of Teak. Cane is used as an accent.

The client’s collection of some beautiful old pieces of furniture, & artefacts have found prominent places amidst the new. Tribal art works, cane lamps along with traditional weaves of fabric complete the larger canvas that speaks of the context & also about what the clients like.

Right orientation of openings ensures cross ventilation of breeze. This further rises up to escape through the interesting composition of punctures at the uppermost level. Hence, keeps the indoors comfortable & cool.

Fact File

Designed by: Silhouette Architects & Designers

Project Type: Residential Architecture & Interior Design

Project Name: Viraam

Location: Pimpri, Pune

Year Built: 2024

Duration of the project: 3 Years

Plot Area: 9,250 Sq.ft

Built-up Area: 5000 Sq.ft

Principal Architect: Ar. Shebanti Chakraborty

Team Design Credits: Ar. Aniket Tayade, Ar. Aditya Galinde, Ar. Kunal Kangankar, Shilpa Chaudhary & Ar. Nikhil Gaikwad

Photograph Courtesy: Atul Kanetkar

Products / Materials / Vendors: Cladding & Exposed Brick Walls – Wire Cut Bricks from Deepraj Enterprises / Lighting – Customized & Handmade / Doors and Partitions – Carpentered at Site with Salvaged wood / Sanitaryware – Kohler / Windows – ORNATE & SOLISS Windows / Furniture – Carpentered at Site / Flooring – Tiles : Milagro Ceramica Pvt. Ltd. / Kitchen – Carpentered at Site with Hardware from Hafele / Paint – Asian paints / Artefacts – Family’s Collection / Wallpaper – Composed inhouse in our Studio / Hardware – Hafelle & Hettich from TARA Interio

Consultants for the Project: Civil – Silhouette Architects & Designers (Beyond Foundation/Footing), Authority Sanction & Basic drawings by SVN Associates / Interior Designers – Silhouette Architects & Designers / Landscape Architects – Silhouette Architects & Designers / Structure Engineers – S.M. Kanitkar / Environmental & Sustainability Consultants – Integrated with Design Inhouse / Contractors – Vinod Vesanekar / Carpentry Contractor – Sawai Ram Suthar / Painting Contractor – Sirpat Sahani / Tile & Stone Mason –  Chandaram Kumawat / Electrical Contractor –  Deepak  Kolape

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