HOUSE OF TWO SPIRALS

Designed as a series of visual experiences, each far removed from the last, this bungalow in New Delhi by Abhimanyu Dalal in collaboration with EDIDA winner Vritima Wadhwa of Project 810 is an object lesson in elevations

- VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR

One site. Two halves. Three important considerations. That was how Abhimanyu Dalal approached a farmhouse project in New Delhi. “We decided right away to divide the property down the middle to place the house at one end,” says the veteran architect and founder of his eponymous New Delhi-based practice Abhimanyu Dalal Architects.

He collaborated with former EDIDA winner Vritima Wadhwa of Project 810 for the interior design of the strikingly contemporary home with its roofs silhouetted against the sky. “We imagined a house on one end and landscape on the other. Nothing in between,” he adds.

The composition of the various architectural elements took into account not only the owners’ art collection but more importantly, the light, greenery and the surrounding vistas. Floor-to-ceiling windows, some double height, are a defining feature that extend the architecture outwards. Given that one of the owners, a renowned gallerist, had a penchant for art and already had an enviable collection, the second consideration was designing a setting that created a dialogue with the spaces. And the third was ensuring that the place felt natural to the family, as if they’d known and loved it all along.

The seeds were thus sown for a home filled with natural light — complete with indoor courtyards, artful corners, theatrical volumes, pocket gardens and picture-postcard vistas — which blurs the line between witnessing art and living within it. The layout was spread over three floors. The formal living room, library, dining room, study and three bedrooms are on the ground floor, while another four bedrooms are on the first. As for the basement and terrace? The former boasts a bar, salon, massage room and fully equipped gym, along with an outdoor swimming pool with a dining space.