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Mixed Materials & Muted Colours Imbue This Vadodara Home With Understated Luxury

Usine Studio creates a minimalist home defined by clean lines, a neutral palette and limited ornamentation

Vinita Kunnath

July 31, 2023

Location: Vadodara
Plot size: 10,000 square feet; 929 square metres
Design firm: Usine Studio
Principal Architects: Yatin Kavaiya, Jiten Tosar, Nirali Bhakta, Krupesh Sapra
Photography by: Tejas Shah

The three-storied, five-bedroom residence thrives on the beauty of forms, and the materials used to create those forms. For starters, it follows the contours of the plot to create an inward-looking, inverted L-shape structure so as to allow all living spaces to profit from the secluded greens nestled within. Yatin Kavaiya explains, “The plan laid in L-form around the landscape in a grid pattern gives visual connectivity of every space. Each internal space visually and physically opens into the living area, which extends from the vertex of the L-form”. The street-facing façade is more opaque while the garden-facing elevations provide transparency and views. Clean lines, a subdued palette and an interesting mix of artworks accentuate minimalist luxury – a design brief that was followed to the T by the firm from built to finished form.

Extensive use of wood, metal and glass define the minimalist cuboid structure of the residence

At the entrance stands a bronze life-size sculpture by Ashish Das in an open cubicle with exposed brick walls and a skylight above.

The entrance area features wall art by Amol Pawar

The foyer separates the formal drawing room from the informal spaces. The living room is washed in a grayscale palette anchored with furniture that is unfussy and crisp in design. The sofas, while simple in form, are offset by the plush fabric.

The living room area features a grayscale palette

The wall art in the living room is by Gurudas Shenoy, the carpet from Sarita Handa, and furniture from Bo Concept

Jiten Tosar says, “The juxtaposition of volumes in the façade gives a playfield for contemporary material treatment such as glass, stone, and wood. Throughout the home the material treatment of wood and metal is consistent.

Nowhere is this more visible than in the sculptural staircase that binds all the levels of the home together, while allowing interaction between family members on different floors. The design focuses on simplicity and straight lines, creating a harmonious blend of natural and modern elements. Placed strategically in the informal living room, it accentuates the double-height voluminous space that is flooded with outside views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The design aesthetic allows something other than the space to be the focus; in this case, the verdant outdoors that energises the entire space.

Keeping in line with the expansive use of wood and glass, the dining room showcases these materials in its live-edge table top, a Japanese-style sleek handle-less credenza and a wide picture window. The monochromatic abstract wall art by Siddharth Kerkar is simple in composition but no less striking. All these pieces speak to one another and relate in regards to things like line, colour and mass, and work well together despite their distinct shapes – a requirement in minimalist decor where form, focus and functionality merge seamlessly.

The dining area features a wall mural by Siddharth Kerkar

When it comes to the bedrooms, each family member’s bedroom reflects their personal taste while not deviating from the underlying minimalist design philosophy. “The master bedroom serves as a perfect case in point as an elegant and minimalist space, with a subtle backdrop and a Persian rug”, says Kavaiya. The overall hushed tones and straight lines of the wainscoting are balanced by textured materials and the cushioned nature of the bedhead and bench.

Kavaiya continues,“The childrens’ bedrooms showcase edgy and bohemian styles”, reflecting the son and daughter’s respective preferences. Furniture in sleek silhouettes and a grey palette interspersed with doses of ivory to soften some austerities.

The daughter’s bedroom takes a break from the greyscale that permeates the rest of the home, using multiple tones in wood and rich textures in matching hues. The overall impression is one of warmth and simplicity.

Grey is the common colour palette in all bathrooms of the home; vanity units in wooden tones and white hues bring in a contrast. The straight dark lines of the shower cubicles offset with the curvilinear mirrors creating a pleasing juxtaposition of forms.

Bathrooms in the home are dominated by tones of grey

The powder bathroom deviates somewhat from the more-is-less approach – a floor with an interesting 3D tiled feature, an exquisitely carved mirror, and a vanity unit in brass and marble, are all set against a grey canvas.

The home straddles the line between the minimal, luxurious, and the homely. It is muted, restrained yet studded with detail, all features that make for quiet luxury.