Practicing as an architect and interior designer in Ahmedabad for over 30 years, Ranna has done a plethora of projects across diverse typologies. The first time we interacted, about 10 years back, she was heavily into designing kindergarten schools! What struck me the most about her, was of course her passion. However, her passion is not limited to her work – she is an equally devoted wife and mother!

Her own home, which she has designed for her lovely family comprising her husband and two children, obviously would have been one in which she would have poured in all her love and pumped in all her passion. The result is there for all to see – a splendid structure that while kissing the earth, seems to emerge from it like an organic form… and yet manifests as a modern structure in its detailing. A long, rectangular plot is the starting point of the design concept.

Her own home, which she has designed for her lovely family comprising her husband and two children, obviously would have been one in which she would have poured in all her love and pumped in all her passion. The result is there for all to see – a splendid structure that while kissing the earth, seems to emerge from it like an organic form… and yet manifests as a modern structure in its detailing. A long, rectangular plot is the starting point of the design concept.

“The design of the house was conceptualised to explore blending elements of nature, with the built form and its interiors. Access to the house is through a thickly foliaged pathway, which is narrow and jagged and seems to lead the mind and eye far way from the chaos of the city beyond,” informs the lovely architect.  “It then opens out into a larger open space where a circular sit-out is planned around a Sapodilla (Chikoo) tree. Misting outlets strategically placed around it, help reduce the temperature by 7 to 10 degrees,” she adds.

A lovely Buddha statue adorns the entrance, creating a tranquil mood as one steps into the house. The open floor plan of the home lets the eye sweep across large interior articulations, subtly divided by their functional usages. The double-height family area has big openable glass windows, which overlook the landscaped garden and offer a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. “A thick retaining wall and overhang on the western façade shades the house from harsh sun. The formal living opens towards the north, with huge cantilever bedroom above tapering outwards in such a way that building line reaches out to the sky while framing the tree across,” explains Ranna – about the design elements she has introduced to protect the house from the unrelenting summers of Ahmedabad.

Besides such climatological factors, other significant design driver is the architect’s philosophy. “Every individual is different,” muses Ranna. “The house is designed on that principle, so there is a personalized look and feel to each room. The colours, the forms and the furniture personalize the spaces.” The primary décor directive of the home is Colour; and various types of flooring and wall finishes are used to execute the design ideas.

The Home Theatre, also on the ground floor, is a wonderfully charming and visually delightful space. The acoustical treatment of the room is done primarily by carpeting the floor. Circular soft boards hung from the ceiling, double up as a décor feature, though mainly intended to absorb the sound.

The Master Bedroom on the ground floor is designed in a way that it offers a wide-angle ground-hugging green view on one side, and the other opens up into a courtyard designed around existing tree with an open shower area. A custom-made metal lotus makes up for an apparent lack of “decoration”; the room otherwise has a starkly minimalistic feel - with only a bed and side tables adorning the lavish space.

The staircase, also stylistically very modern and blending in effortlessly into the well-appointed space leads to the private chambers on the upper level.

The library, the children’s own rooms, and the guest room are located on the upper level. Being ardent aficionados of Indian classical music, the library - a vibrant, and very personal space holding a splendid collection of books of varied genres - is also used to keep their collection of musical instruments. Two sitars, a harmonium and a set of tablas are given a dedicated storage here. The space then also doubles up as a serene place for the mother and daughter to sit and do their riyaaz.

The daughter’s bedroom is a well-lit and airy space, fit for a teenager/young adult. Purple is the theme colour here; softly draping the walls, with one wall highlighted by a textured wall paper. The one-and-half floor high volume of the room opens on landscape with the ceiling slab shooting upwards. Colours and graphics keep the scale of the room in check and maintain the warm and cosy feel essential in a bedroom. Memories hanging from the ceiling add chutzpah to the space. The attached washroom is personalized with slogans and graphics that appeal to young minds.

The son’s room is a uniquely crafted space, designed in a manner that makes one feel as if living amidst the foliage of a tree. Narrow slit windows on three sides engage in a dramatic interplay with the tree and the sky. A slanting wall on one side in dark blue gives it depth. The washroom and dressing block is done up in graphics using blues and green. To match the inclined metal structural members, slanted lines are repeated in the lighting and the furniture. The furniture is integrated with the structural members.

The guest room, also located on the upper level has been given a rich, traditional treatment, quite unlike the rest of the house. A blue tiled floor sets off the traditional, wooden furniture. A beautiful Krsna Mehta wallpaper adorns one wall.

The bespoke home for the multi-faceted Parikh family, thus offers a truly unique experience of architectural space vis-à-vis nature. The overall design language of the home is a distinctively modern one – gracefully encompassing the exterior and interior spaces. The architect’s vision for a home for herself and her family to love and enjoy, has indeed come alive in this brick-and-mortar masterpiece…