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

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

Facade 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.

The living room

The living room

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.

The master bedroom

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 son’s room

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.

The daughter’s room

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 powder bathroom

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.

The ground floor accommodates the parents’ bedroom, living room, family room, dining and kitchen.

Layout of first floor comprising three bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms

Layout of second floor comprising guest bedroom and home theatre

Story by Vinita Kunnath.

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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 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.

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

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

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