Name of the project: A Classical Home
Location: Alipore, Kolkata
Size of the plot: 3000 sq ft approx.
Date of Completion: 2023
Design Firm: A Square Designs
Principal architects/designers of the firm: Ajay Arya
Photographer: Atul Pratap Chauhan
European vintage motifs meet oriental decor and craftsmanship. This new château depicts a tale of both ancient aesthetics and contemporary style. A duplex home spanning approximately 3000 sq ft, this renovation project in Alipore moves away from Ajay Arya’s usual design style. The studio aims to restructure a classical maximalist abode while revamping the space to retain elements of historical charm. Drawing inspiration from his client’s collections, principal designer Ajay Arya creates a space that exudes timelessness and sophistication.
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Albeit meticulous, the designer integrates colonial aesthetics with the casa’s interior schemes. The floorings, walls, and structural changes are redone to match this new decor style. Rejuvenating existing resources, especially heirlooms like colonial furniture carved in teak and rosewood, creates and highlights an ecological narrative for the interiors. Vibrant tapestries and plush carpets usher in a bold burst of hues, much to the client’s preference. The designer’s main challenges were to navigate a fresh outcome while ensuring authenticity, maintaining design principles, and resource upscaling.
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The biophilic influences found in the chateau’s interiors manifest a sense of natural warmth and serenity within. An endorser for ecological designs, Ajay Arya swiftly incorporates raw, natural elements that finely juxtapose with the duplex home’s darker decor colours. An abundance of sunlight turns out to be a quiet beneficiary to its occupants. To maximise the perforation of outdoor light, Arya utilises sky-roofs on the ceiling and the house’s enormous windows. A descending rainforest of plants lies adjacent to the marble stairway, catering as an uninterrupted walkway to a private garden.
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Irrespective of its extensive spread, the designer’s vision remains authentic in every cranny of this duplex home. Indo-European design components are found in almost every space in this house. Intricately carved wooden niches paired across modern artefacts create a fascinating tale of contrasting design styles.
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In the bedroom, the designer opts for more suave-toned tinctures which contrasts with the entire duplex home’s general colour palette. A Square Designs retains the casa’s overall dedication to relaxation inside the bedroom as well and sets this space apart by only slightly tweaking the colour scheme. The pastel hues manifest a sense of calm and serenity, creating an oasis of comfort, and separating it from the city’s hustle-bustle.
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Even in confined quarters, the designer never fails to execute his core vision’s planning. In congruence with the abode’s artistic identity, A Square Designs incorporates recurring vintage elements in the bathrooms by adding carved deco mirrors, wooden tabletops, and intricate ceiling lights. Whether animal-printed wall pieces or miniature potted plants, tchotchkes of biophilia are found everywhere; lingering even in the bath spaces. An emulsion of ageing decadence seeps through its design.
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Since 1999, Ajay Arya’s design firm A Square Designs has been transforming spaces into urban designs and stunning creations. By escaping the stereotypical realms of architectural norms and reservations, Arya sets out to explore new paradigms in design. Thus bringing this duplex home in Kolkata a mile closer to its vision and delivering a comfortable residence to its inhabitants.