Fact File
Location: Hyderabad
Size: 240 sq m
Principal Architects: Chaitanya Padal, Kinnera Varma and Radha Neela
Photography by: Ricken Desai
House In The Farm by Studio Inscape has been conceived as a subtle foreground to the natural environment. The farmhouse is designed around an existing tree to visually connect the courtyard without losing the linearity of the space. Introducing a central linear corridor along the court satisfied the client’s brief of having a linear house with a courtyard. We were sure about keeping the embodied energy of the house low. To achieve that, we used in situ bricks made with excavated soil as flooring in the central courtyard, which acted as the skin of the superstructure. The brick walls and form-finished slabs were left in raw finish to blend with the surroundings. Overall, the design pivots around the landscaped courtyard, which runs through the building.
The levels in the house, from the courtyard to the common spaces, fluctuate the scale and create a varied visual experience throughout the house. Bedroom walls were lime-washed to create a cosy feel. Tandoor flooring with black oxide skirting dominates the internal spaces. Reclaimed wood for the doors and windows and toggle switches with exposed conduit set the informal vibe that the designers wanted to achieve. All the design decisions made the house economical and sustainable. The furniture layout of the living space accommodates an L-shaped bench, which serves as an informal interactive space, bringing the warmth required for a farmhouse rather than a formal sofa set arrangement. Understanding the relationship between these spaces and their residents, the furniture layout in common areas was planned to accommodate both small and large groups. Further, the common areas were visually connected to the exterior green farmland.
The design visualisation is to merge the house with the natural surroundings, which are the backdrop to the house, rather than having it be the dominant characteristic overpowering its surroundings. The thought behind the conception of the house goes back to the client’s love of organic farming. The love of collecting antiques that we share with the client led us to develop a house that could accommodate their interests and let the house evolve organically over time instead of creating rigid, defined spaces. Factors like compressed stabilized earth blocks, ergonomic sill levels, multifunctional & non-rigid furniture layouts, human scale, and contextual material palette make this project sustainable, thus enhancing user experience.
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”
Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences
The choice of materials and finishes was in keeping with this chromatic landscape. “Through the moodboard we visualized the allure of the space,” explains Pennesi. “An interplay of alternations between more or less tactile surface textures, contrasting colors and opaque and translucent finishes that create intriguing peep-through effects.”
This led to the choice of stoneware tiles by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which deck the floors and bar counter with their dense and uniform speckled pattern and bind together the different areas into which the space is divided, wth laminates from Arpa Industriale and Kaindl, used respectively for the support surfaces and the structures of the bespoke furnishings.
“We chose these materials for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetic because this type of semi-finished product has color ranges that enabled us to make choices consistent with the palette we created; and practical because they are wearproof materials and ensure easy sanitization. In particular, Fenix, a special laminate we used to coat the counter top, with a surface that has a non-porous outer layer, makes the material easy to clean and suitable for contact with food as well as fingerprint-proof and pleasant to the touch.”
Even the lighting was curated in detail, helping create a pleasant and richly detailed environment. Bellhop cordless table lamps designed by Barber & Osgerby for Flos, illuminate the tables with their discreet light. Suspended above the bar counter is a spectacular suspension composition created with a series of “leaves” in Diphy polycarbonate. Designed by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, it was inspired by a fascinating Japanese plant, whose flowers turn as transparent as crystal in contact with water.
