Having It All

A two-level bungalow in Vadodara designed by Atelier Design N Domain has a luxurious sprawl. Its clever design promotes both the consolidation of family togetherness and high octane entertaining.

- Devyani Jayakar

“A farmland culture exists in Vadodara, since there is no paucity of land. Consequently, gardens are an integral part of many developments,” says Anand Menon of Atelier Design N Domain. “A good deal of socialising takes place at home, so the design of the spaces is important as it is connected with social status.” The family wanted a large garden with its own separate entrance, so that guests would not have to enter the house to access it, when there was a large party.

A porte-cochère offers a shaded dropoff for cars, past the security and kennel facility at the gates. The building itself has a cladding of calibrated granite and wood finish fibre, a high wall flanking the driveway with water gurgling into a water body from polished gargoyles embedded in it. The entrance door in continuity with the wall is a full height one in solid wood.

Since there are no other openings to give a sense of the scale of the house beyond, an air of privacy prevails. Sitting across the main door is a larger than life brass sculpture, customised by Navin Chahande. “An abstracted version of two figures in conversation and its design was guided by the client, who ascribes value to interaction with family and friends,” says Anand.

The linear site encouraged a similar footprint for the structure, which runs the length of the plot. “Taking into consideration the clients brief and various site forces, the plan is essentially a stretched linear box aligned with the cardinals to ensure that all functions receive ample morning sunlight and enjoy undisturbed views of the adjoining landscape. The plan for the latter is broadly divided into the formal party lawn directly accessible from the drop off driveway and the family lawn that runs parallel to the house,” says Anand.