Interior Design for The Light House
Residential Interior I Nagpur, Maharashtra
Area 11,675 Sq.ft
Status Completed 2022
Photographer Niveditaa Gupta
Team Shimul Javeri Kadri, Roshni Kshirsagar, Palak Jain, Vaishali Panchal, Kashvi Gandhi
The Light house has been about reinterpreting the idea of a ‘haveli’ to
adapt to an urban, contemporary circumstance.
Designed for a traditional Indian, close-knit joint family that loves spending time with each other, the main emphasis of planning was to ensure a variety of semi-open and enclosed common spaces that encourage a sense of togetherness and community, spaces that can help hold a large family together.
The Chowk
Available ground area coverage led to a G+4 storied structure, at the physical and symbolic heart of which is a ‘chowk’ that brings in light and connects different levels and spaces. The skylight above the ‘chowk’ is a ‘jali’ – crafted in wood with traditional motifs, it will help diffuse the harsh Nagpur sun in the summer months; the motifs forming every changing shadow patterns on the walls and floor of the ‘chowk’ with the movement of the sun.
Organisation of Spaces
Organizing spaces amongst the 5 floors was critical- the everyday common functions and private spaces are on the lower floors with adequate close interconnections, while the formal living, dining and bar spaces, for entertaining guests and outsiders, have been provided at the roof level.
The ground floor spaces have been designed to be very inside-out and they spill easily into the surrounding compulsory open space around the building. With the kitchen and informal living room, this floor will be where the family expects to spend a major part of their waking hours.
The entertainment floor is very open with glass walls, interspersed with greens and provided with a lofty wood ceiling – the overall feeling is of lightness that gives it a distinct identity separate from the lower floors and helps scale the building from the outside so that it feels more like a traditional house than an apartment building.
Inspiration from the Vernacular
To ensure open and airy spaces that the family wanted, we took inspiration from traditional vernacular architecture - all bedrooms and living spaces of the house on the 1st – 3rd floors have been provided with ‘jharokas’ and ‘otlas’ protected by sliding ‘jalis’. These ‘jalis’ work as sun shades, bringing in diffused light and wind into the rooms while simultaneously ensuring privacy. The sliding mechanism is to provide easy and quick flexibility; if needed, the ‘jali’ can be parked aside and the rooms and ‘jharokhas’ can be opened out.
