This Joint Family Home by Reflective Practices Gives Both Private and Shared Spaces to Its Residents | Madhya Pradesh

Ar. Vrushali Sethi and Ar. Ashish Sethi, founders and principal architects of Reflective Practices, carefully designed this Jain residence, which had a special requirement of having two different houses appearing as one from outside. The clients are a family of ten, and they are used to staying as a joint family. With the increasing need for space, the families are split into two similar units under one roof. What a joint family needs are this connection at every moment and this was the concept around which the horizontal and vertical planning of spaces was done. Located in Shanti Niketan, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the house features high-volume entryways, cantilevered balconies of bedrooms, double-height window openings, twin height living room - all are connected with a landscaped balcony- a common plane where both the families interact. The architect duo has shared with SURFACES REPORTER (SR) how they designed a home for a joint family to live in harmoniously.

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With the given gist, the architecture of this house has been developed, it’s a symmetrical expression of fairly simple detailing. It is a set of high-volume entryways, cantilevered balconies of bedrooms, double-height window openings. These two sets combine and meet at a common plane where both the families interact and that is the first-floor landscaped balcony.

This is the most frequently used space of the house, which the client always wanted to have. Peeping inside from this space, we see a twin height living room and one more spill out space at the second floor where the bedrooms open up.

This plane offers a sit out area from where one can have a connection with the first-floor living area and the common landscaped balcony. What a joint family needs are this connection at every moment and this was the concept around which the horizontal and vertical planning of spaces was done.

Material Palette

The materials used in the exterior are wood, travertine stone and river-washed black granite.

The stout character of granite take place at the bottom part of the entire elevation; it creates grandness by dressing the double-height entryway, the river washed texture compliments the earthy look of the ground floor where we have created two semi-covered green pockets.

The travertine stone with its rich grainy pattern dresses the double-height wall. The subtle character of wood creates the warmth by dressing the underneath of the large roof slab.

Also Read: Minimal, Yet So Much In This Newly Designed Family Home In Hyderabad | F+S Designs

Living Room

The living room has a double-height volume and it gets highlighted with simple grooving details on walls and ceiling painted in taupe shade.

A custom-made set of hanging lights spread out its arms randomly and fills the volume. The wall which is the background for sofa seating is a long double height wall. It starts with blank canvas for a huge artwork with demarcation of wooden battens. The wooden element creates a dynamic pattern spreading thorough the height and concealing a common door between the two houses and then it solidifies further with a rustic cladding of basalt stone.

The heaviness of these materials gets broken down with the use of a sand stone panel. The panel has an engraving of leaf-veins.

The overall play on the wall is a mix of silence and vibrance and so we chose an artwork like fluid art for this wall to show the fluidity of emotions.

The mirror on ceiling above the dining table doubles up the energy served on the table. The table top is a wooden surface with semi-precious stone inlay.

A bespoke buffet counter and a set of monochrome wall plates enhance the experience of this space.

Daughter’s Bedroom

A pastel bedroom is always a requirement for a teenage girl. This bedroom has a semi-classical language.

The wall moldings, checkered glass front of cabinets, moulding details on the nightstand creates the semi-classical language whereas the use of rose gold metal framed glass shelves, polka dot print study table top and ceiling in mirror create a contemporary balance of the space.

The use of powder pink tone with rose gold metal and some hues of mint color create a soothing color palate.  

Master Bedroom

A geometrical pattern in black stone inlaid in white marble with brass element creates the backdrop for the bed. This pattern is laid over a set of panels with cove lights around, creating the main feature for this bedroom.

The geometrical expression continues over the bed headboard and drawer fronts of the nightstands and console. The fluted fabric upholstery over the furniture in a stark shade of blue breaks the monotony of colors of this space. The freshness and simplicity of this bedroom create a calm and serene experience for the user.

Also Read: Wood, Concrete and Minimal Furniture Accentuates This Family-Home in the Narrow Street of Bangalore | Intuit Design Studio

Son’s Bedroom

A stout leather bed with black nightstands appearing against a concrete textured wall creates a very subtle yet young look for the teenage boy’s bedroom.

The ceiling with wooden rafters and white battens along with grey wooden flooring gives it a country look. The mirror panelling on the wall helps in creating illusion of large space. Overall a simple rustic looks for this bedroom is what the client required for his son.           

Drawing Room & Foyer

Foyer is a welcoming space at the ground floor, it has detailing of veneer paneling encasing the passageway. It brings you to a sofa seating that has intricate Indian motifs on the upholstery; a white console creates the backdrop and a stand for artefacts.

A circular ceiling covered in wallpaper compliments the gentle Indian Motifs on the upholstery.

The foyer opens up to the drawing room through a large glass partition, thus allowing transparency of space. The clear vision starts gelling into the design of the drawing room.

The drawing room is designed keeping the large space in mind. The large space allows the clients to host small parties at their home without disturbing the living areas on the first floor. The space was large and it needed to have minimal use of paneling on wall, so we have created a drama of patterns with simple wall moldings in POP, highlighted it with taupe color and gave it energy with a customized hanging light fitting at the center of the ceiling.

The pale pink glass of the light fitting compliments the taupe shade used on the walls and the tapestry used. The wall décor and serving tables have hints of rose gold, metallic black and turquoise which creates the overall color palate for this room. Opulence in design is not always using a lot of materials and expensive finishes, it is about balancing them. A simple experiment of mixing the right colors and geometry is what we have experimented in this space.    

Project Details                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

About the Firm

Reflective Practices is an architecture and interior design studio established in 2012 by Ar. Ashish Sethi  (B.Arch from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi College for architecture and environmental studies - Mumbai university) and Ar. Vrushali Pavaskar Sethi (B.Arch from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi College for architecture and environmental studies - Mumbai university). The studio has undertaken several commercial, residential, hospitality projects in different cities of India including Mumbai, Indore, Pune, Nagpur, Chindwara, Jaipur, Guna, Gaya etc. Currently the studio is operating out of Indore city.

Ar. Ashish Sethi and Ar. Vrushali Pavaskar Sethi

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