Living with the Art!
September 19, 2024
Mrinmoy Dey
The kitchen in the arthouse, designed by Monica Khosla Bhargava reflects the overall design philosophy of ‘standing out while not being in the face’. The zoning and intelligent placement of cabinets and appliances increases the efficiency and the overall functionality of the space, reckons Mrinmoy Dey
A contemporary design sensibility with muted colours and seamlessly integrating pieces of the art collection in the design is what stands out in a residential project at Salt Lake City in Kolkata, designed by Kolkata-based architectural firm Kham Consultants, headed by Monica Khosla Bhargava. The project exemplifies the firm’s design philosophy – a house is a reflection of its people and their personalities.
The place is designed for a multigenerational family which shares a close bond where they intermingle and eat together. “In fact, the members of the family are so close to each other, that they haven’t segregated a floor for each nuclear family. Their bedrooms have been intentionally distributed such that a child may have his room adjacent to that of an uncle and aunt, while his parents are on another floor altogether,” informs Monica while briefing the client profile.
A contemporary design sensibility with muted colours and seamlessly integrating pieces of art collection. Photo Courtesy: Kham Consultants
She is of the opinion that the way walls are designed can affect human relationships. “This openness in thought is reflected in the design of the house and a large open kitchen along with the living and dining space was planned on the first floor.”
The Design Brief
Designing a home for a client with an art collection is always special. In this instance, it was not just any art collection, but a significant one, with several pieces from the Bengal School.
Speaking on the design brief of the project, Monica says, “The family wanted to live with the art, not just display it, as in a gallery. Consequently, art is not the focus of attention. It sits back, waiting to participate in an intimate dialogue with viewers, rather than initiating any conversation.”
Fact File
Location: Salt Lake, Kolkata
Area of kitchen: 202 sq ft.
Built-up Area of the house: 5289 sq. ft.
Principal Architect: Monica Khosla Bhargava
Design Team: Kham Consultants
She further added that art and artworks are integrated into every aspect of design in the house. “While paying proper homage to this prized collection, soft focal light treats them as interactive members rather than highlighted displays in a gallery. The emphasis is on the experience of these masterpieces through light and space.”
However, with no bright hues that are ‘in your face', it may be easy for the uninitiated to miss the gravitas of the art collection in the interiors.
The openness in thought is reflected in the design of the house and a large open kitchen along with the living and dining space was planned on the first floor.
Monica Khosla Bhargava
Principal Architect
Kham Consultants
The Kitchen – layout, materials and appliances
Tiles match the stone finishes in the house and complement the geometric pattern of the linen wallpaper in the dining area used to finish the walls of the kitchen. The white makrana marble floor of the dining flows into the kitchen. “To permit workability of the air conditioning system a glass partition is added to demarcate the kitchen and the dining area. An Indian kitchen especially for a large joint family requires a fairly large space and we have allocated 200 sqft for the kitchen out of a total dwelling area of 5200 sqft,” opines Monica.
The kitchen is divided into two zones – one for family and friends walking in the kitchen to get water, snacks, food etc and this consists of a refrigerator and three full-height storage cabinets with a built-in microwave oven. An OTG is also incorporated here as an accessory for the seldom baking sessions.
The U-shaped area behind the kitchen counter formed the area where the actual cooking and washing takes place. Monica adds, “Since the kitchen is visible from the dining, the wash area is placed in the secluded zone so that a cluster of soiled dishes may not be visible. Overhead utensils and crockery units with drip trays have been added above the sinks to facilitate storage of daily used dishes. The cabinets below the sinks incorporate the garbage bins.”
Tiles match the stone finishes in the house and complement the geometric pattern of the linen wallpaper in the dining area used to finish the walls of the kitchen. Photo Courtesy: Kham Consultants
A large refrigerator used for storing vegetables is placed at the confluence of the wash area and the burner. Further briefing on the zoning and placement of appliances Monica adds, “Another sink near the cooktop is installed to provide water for drinking and cooking. The kitchen cabinets below the granite counter were designed to store cookware, cutlery and tableware. After we had detailed all the storage units, we needed just a few minimal overhead cabinets for some glassware.”
The cabinets and appliances were designed with Veneta Cucine other than the refrigerator, which was expectedly from Samsung considering this was the house of Samsung’s East zone distributor, informs Monica.
Lighting plays a stellar role in the design of this home. Photo Courtesy: Kham Consultants
Materials Used
Flooring: White Makrana marble
Ceiling: POP
Walls: Tiles from Porcelanosa
Kitchen cabinet and appliances: Veneta Cucine
Refrigerator: Samsung
Architectural Lights: XAL
Lighting and Ventilation
Lighting plays a stellar role in the design of this home. A healthy distribution of natural light bathes the building through the floor-to-ceiling windows while the extended verandahs and blinds cut off the tropical glare. But it is after sunset that the drama of the artificial lighting takes over.
Detailing the lighting ventilation Monica says, “The home is small and dense, for privacy. Because the adjacent plots already had buildings which were quite close to this site, most of the light and ventilation in this home comes from the front and rear. We’ve attempted to bring in a horizontal flow of breeze as well as shafts of light.”
Cabinet lights added an accent to this core space while irregular discs of shadowless light created the design pattern of the roof and the functional lighting of the kitchen. “In other places, the fixtures are chosen not only for illumination but also for their sculpturesque quality,” says Monica.
Materials Used
Flooring: White Makrana marble
Ceiling: POP
Walls: Tiles from Porcelanosa
Kitchen cabinet and appliances: Veneta Cucine
Refrigerator: Samsung
Architectural Lights: XAL
Black tracks on ceilings appear to function as channels for movable spots, but actually conceal the joints of trap doors, which enable access to air-conditioning ducts. “Ambient luminescence in the dining room is spread through the LED under-light of the fans, soft reflections of the makrana white marble floor and embroidered linen panelled walls,” adds Monica.
Speaking on the design philosophy the architect says that there has been a cognisance of the fact that people should have primary importance in a home. “Nothing should overpower the people or their personalities. I also feel that there should be a synergy between the architecture and the interior. For that, it is important to understand the spaces. I believe that the way the walls are designed can affect human relationships.”
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