House Of Celebration | The Design Chapel | Ahmedabad
Principal Designer Preshita Shah Gupta of The Design Chapel, designs this residence named the House of Celebration for her own parents and therefore instead of adding unwarranted glamour and luxury, infuses the house with warmth, colors and brightness.
Homes today have become the nucleus of people’s lives during the pandemic, a space which becomes their safe haven against the ragging disease outside, a place of refuge. Zaha Hadid believed Design is really about wellbeing. People do want to feel good in a space. This has never been more true than today. People want their homes to become their happy sanctuaries.
The idea hence was to make a light filled home on the outskirts of Ahmedabad where old school warmth and charm exists, where time moves slower and where parents can enjoy the autumn of their lives in peace.
The clients, being the designer’s parents gave a simple brief to her, ‘We want a home and not a hotel or a museum’ This instruction constantly played at the back of Preshita’s mind while designing. She tried to design an interior that defies labeling and germinates from the site context and client requirements.
The Designer’s mother being an artist and a painter, has always surrounded herself with colors and textures and so we did not shy away from using bright colors and bold prints. While doing so it was essential that a balance was maintained of the various hues and shades, of prints and plains. “While my mother spent her entire life trying to make everything around her beautiful, this house was my way of thanking her for doing so.” says Preshita.
Under the ballooning concept of functionality, this house has an earthy template of mint green, wood, grey, white with shades of blues and pink. The bare shell was envisioned as an empty canvas in which like a painting we aimed at pouring splashes of color, textures and prints all the while keeping the functional requirements of the clients in mind.
The spatial breakdown of the project is pretty standard with the living, dining and 2 bedrooms adjacent to one another. The entry opens up into the living and dining space divided by a 120 year old swing which has been passed down to the patriarch as a family heirloom through generations, a Gujarati household staple. Tropical wallpaper becomes the backdrop for this space against which two, 80 year old teak wood cabinets now repurposed and polished in white stand proud.
The fabrics in royal blue, sea green and floral prints add to the bright happy mood of the space. An Ikea carpet binds the seating space together while the painting made by the client herself, of a lady deep in thought becomes the perfect addition to the grey back wall. The entire house is a reflection of the sensibilities and the choices of the matriarch of the family.
We decided to cordon off the original open kitchen using sliding fluted glass partition. This allowed for the kitchen to become a private space when needed, otherwise allowing the lady of the house to communicate easily while cooking. The kitchen has been kept extremely simple and quaint in shades of mint green and grey.
The Master Bedroom has an extended wardrobe space in textured mint laminate from Royale touché with long black handles. The same mint green color extends to the headboard where floral wallpaper with little birds perched on branches becomes a perfect addition to this room. The house is a breath of fresh air filled with ample amount of sunlight, indoor plants and a bright happy color palette.
The other bedroom has bright blue wallpaper with teak wood furniture, wardrobe with mirrors and bright wallpaper with jumping golden fishes in royal blue waters keeping the space modest and fresh. Preshita put together ingenuity, all her creativity and a lot of restraint to create a home that exudes peace. It is an effort to create a design which works perfectly with her mother’s sensibilities.
The fact that the house was designed and executed during the pandemic called for the inclusion of a lot of greens and we strived to allow tons of natural light and greenery so that the clients don’t miss being in the outdoors. Preshita wanted to bring in real comfort to the space, both visual and physical.
Simplicity still reigns supreme in this house, after all Preshita did not aim at making a maximalist house. The walls were all kept white only adorned with wallpapers in shades of blue, green and pink and artwork made by the owner herself.
“The best rooms have something to say about the people who live in them.”- David Hicks. This is the essence of the House of Celebration. With the client’s own paintings adorning the walls, the colors, prints and the design aesthetics are a tribute to the mother from her daughter. Preshita worked creatively to create an oasis of simplicity, ease and comfort for her parents.
FACT FILE
Project Name : House of Celebration
Studio Name : The Design Chapel
Principal Designer : Preshita Shah Gupta
Client’s Name : Mr Pranav Shah, Mrs Usha Shah
Design Team : Preshita Shah Gupta, Kajal Kamath and Simran Agarwal
Project Location : Ahmedabad, India
Carpet Area : 1200 Sq. Ft.
Project year : June 2021
Photography Credits : Umang Shah
Text Credits : Preshita Shah Gupta
