Approaching Samruddhi Bungalow on a verdant plot of land on Vadodara’s outskirts after late evening seems an experience akin to witnessing a starlit galaxy against the dark sky. Spotlights dotting the wide upper level canopy render it into a veritable extension of the sky, while a similarly spot-lit (starlit?) pathway leads up to a structure that is at once transparent and luminescent, given the bright white lights shining through the wide glazed corner panels that are interspersed by bright white walls. 

The crisp, clean-lined geometry of the elevations enhanced by the structure’s wide, sweeping strokes was crystallised from a pre-build RCC framework that the designers were to treat as their canvas to create upon. These were used to boldly frame the delicate panels of slatted screens and glazed spreads the house is enveloped with, to ensure an artistic austerity while keeping out the inevitable dust and noise from the abutting road and adjoining school plot. Clearly, the poetry and art have already begun to take shape, at once confirmed by the perforated bronze mural screen by artist Ratilal Kansodaria depicting a rainy landscape greets one at the entrance portico!

A mural in wood by the famous Gulam Mohammad Sheikh forms the main door, showing intricate complexities of foliage and flora on twenty embedded panels, each distinct from the other. This lets one into a double height lobby like space, sporting a simple couch overlooked by a Japanese painting on the plain white wall, setting the tone for an interior bathed in neutral greys and whites that help melt away the already minimal lines into a background, letting the artworks do the talking.

It is important to mention, at this point, that Usine Studio’s job was clearly cut out in terms of spatial design, and they have indeed aced this brief. 10,500 sq. ft. of built up space is an indulgent luxury that can tempt any designer to run amok with their imprint. But, the restraint with which this house has been treated is phenomenal. Three really large living rooms, several variously sized lobbies, lounges, terraces and sit-outs, four large bedroom suites with huge walk-in wardrobes and baths, a veritable dining and kitchen complex and in-between expanses spread out on two floors in such a delicately articulated balance that the house is at once super spacious and warmly intimate, neither intimidating in scale nor suffocating in its envelope.

A comfortable wide yet enclosed stairway leading upstairs makes itself visible right across from the main entrance, but it presents a pervious, feather weight picture, being riser-less, detached from both walls, provided a glass railing and backed by a light filled glazed panel from top to bottom. It forms a dynamic backdrop for a central sculpture by artist Ashish Dash of a human moving against a tall loop of shelves, with various masks perching on them, subtly alluding to the enhanced role of pretence in modern social life! The birds etched in gold on the human body seem to be the ones remaining after dozens of them fill up the double height entrance lobby!

The details, like that of the convergence between the window, wall and ceiling of any given room which is done in a single gesture that avoids a formation of multiple lines, are all directed towards maintenance of minimalism in the design, helping to highlight the specifically commissioned artworks. Like the magnificence of colour in Kodanda Rao’s painting of a crowd of thoughts of people at a seaside is complemented by the purple cushioned armchairs below while contrasting with a muted fawn colour scheme of the rest of the sofas. 

Most of the furniture like sofas, tables, consoles, which are made to order locally with some being imported from Spain, are rendered in neutral tones except for sudden bursts of bright colour in the upholstery wherever a balance with the artworks is required. Like the string of different perky coloured recliners that perk up the entertainment room for a family and friend circle of card game lovers!

The owners are also nature lovers, who have chosen to live far away from the bustle of the city on this site surrounded by green. The designers have made sure their connect with the green exteriors remains uninterrupted even when indoors by employing maximal glazed surfaces, even in the bedrooms, restraining walls to the bare minimum. A triple layer glazing technique has been executed with meticulous care to make this experience of nature glare- and dust-free. 

The family room walls are covered in portraits of family members to underscore the intimate nature of the space. While, the reading room, done up in beige with dashes of orange and olive, has on its wall a precious set of 150 sketches depicting different moods invoked while reading by a student of Faculty of Fine Arts at the M.S. University of Baroda, Radhika Wader.

The kitchen has been perked up by a yellow band running right through, separating the white walls from the black counters. A set of glass figurines dance in suspension over the dining table, which is also looked over by a series of Vinod Darod’s abstract Shivlings done in glass, ceramic and metal adorning the wall. The bedrooms are treated in various neutral shades with splashes of complementing bright hues – red with beige, yellow with grey, perky greens and blues on white – and each one adorned with an artwork on its wall.

Other artists whose works can be found showcased at Samruddhi Bungalow are Mallika Rangwala, Rutwa Gajjar, Pankaj Vishwakarma, Himanshi Shah, Santa Rakshit, all of whom the designers had prolonged meaningful interactions with during the course of the project, bringing much joy to their work. 

The designers at Usine Studio pride themselves on delivering satisfactorily in the areas of stringent budgeting, scheduling and detailing specifications that the client had laid out uncompromisingly. But, the achievement that stands out most significantly is the creation of an exquisitely crafted abode for the art and its lovers to co-habit, without allowing the design’s aura to overshadow the artworks it is meant to display.