Location: Jaipur
Size: 22,000 square feet
Number of bedrooms: 8
Design firm: AKFD Studio
Principal designers: Ayush Kasliwal, Charvi Kasliwal, Sidharth Sharma
Architectural firm: M A Architects
Photography: Gitesh Gupta, Studio Bluora
The brief given to Ayush Kasliwal, founder of AKFD Studio, was to create a house that had the air of a vacation home. This would look as much as a residence as it would a hub for the family’s large-scale social life. In the process, AKFD Studio was particularly inspired by Spanish aesthetics. Kasliwal says, “The visual inspiration for the stone house was an ancient Spanish building, flanked by very modern structures, thereby giving context to each other.”
To this aim, Kasliwal envisaged a horizontally spread out building, with clearly demarcated zones, separating the private from the public. The structure needed to deal with the challenge of blending every family member’s contrasting lifestyle. Kasliwal explains how the firm circumvented this “by cleverly continuing the design through both the public and private areas using similar materials and logic”. As a result, the distinct spaces maintain their individuality while fostering a sense of connection.
AKFD Studio decided to eschew imported stones and instead use locally available yellow stone, a hallmark of many traditional homes in Rajasthan. The stone has been used extensively in the home’s public areas as a cladding both on exterior and interior walls, an aesthetic that Kasliwal explains as having “an old-world charm with an edge of the modern to it”.
The home’s private quarters exhibit a more sleek contemporary design. Housed over three floors, they are connected to the public section on all levels, but privacy is maintained through strategically-placed courtyards and outdoor spaces, which lie in between the two sections.
A green outdoor passage leads to the formal living room. It’s an airy space in neutral colours, punctured with spots of deep red by way of leather armchairs. A wall, clad in hand-cut stone, dominates the room lending a slightly rugged air to the elegant space. Connected to the enclosed living room is an open courtyard that doubles as a lounge space, equipped with a bar that’s camouflaged behind a wooden sliding panel.
The dining room spells understated luxury, featuring an eight-seater natural stone-topped dining table, flanked with upholstered chairs and a series of suspended chandeliers illuminating the space.
On the first floor, in between two courtyards, lies the family lounge room – a cosy space nestled under a pitched roof.
The family room is connected to a lap pool via a passageway clad in yellow stone. A customised jacuzzi in stone was made in situ, adjacent to the pool. The platform around the jacuzzi is nano topped with red pigment, and the walls have been painted to match it.
Inside, the private quarters have their own living room on the ground floor. Sculptural furniture, a marble-mimicking rug, and diaphanous looking lights are dominated by a concrete ceiling, present in its raw form and natural glory.
Kasliwal says, “Our design approach was centred around creating a living space that perfectly aligns with the client’s lifestyle. Our top priority was to make every corner of this home feel warm and inviting. You’ll find that the objects, artworks, textiles, and lighting fixtures have been thoughtfully curated to create an eclectic blend of styles. Throughout the home, you’ll see how colour plays a pivotal role in uniting these diverse elements and weaving a tapestry of visual harmony.”
Story by Vinita Kunnath
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