Café Au Lait

Reconfiguring spaces to create a lavish apartment in Vadodara, Vaibhav Patel & Associates have used clean lines with an ivory and brown palette, to deliver an efficient, contemporary home.

- Devyani Jayakar

When the clients specified that they wanted a lavish home with a contemporary aesthetic, Vaibhav Patel decided to restrict his colour palette to a classic ivory, offset by the natural tones of wood. ‘They also wanted the living room to be larger than what was provided for in the original plan,’ says Vaibhav. ‘They were not keen on too much seating, but specified high gloss finishes together with pooja and storage areas which were not in the plan. Stainless steel and metal hardware were not to be used for wardrobes and drawers.

Using a material palette of teakwood, veneer and nuwood with PU (polyurethane) polish, Vaibhav provided a textured wall at the entrance and foyer, highlighted by an LED light. A geometrical pattern on an ACP (aluminium composite panel) sheet is backed with a mirror for depth, adding interest to the wall. The main door has chamfered strips of wood, with a full height handle in a veneer finish bearing a burnt leaf engraving. In the foyer, the wall is clad with panelling in cement sheets with 4mm grooves. The simple geometry of a large flower in CNC (a manufacturing process in which computer numeric control software automates the machine) above the ledge for seating complements the lines of the leaf graphic, the basic shape of the petals echoing the leaves. A narrow slatted vertical partition at the end of the seating provides a measure of privacy to the living room beyond, while maintaining a visual connect.