Crisp choreography

Photography by Nayan Soni

Led by the architect duo Sanjana Srikanth and Shvetha Ganesh, The Hippodrome Setting completed the interior design of a 3 Bangalore, mixing earthy materiality, generous daylight, and a contemporary identity transforming it into an endearing dwelling.

The clients aspired to live in a sanctuary-like home that would mentally transport them away from the din of urban life. Our point of departure became a functional, timeless space reflecting a unified grammar.

Sculpted to a T for a young couple, the dwelling is nestled in a thriving residential neighbourhood, situated about 15 km eastward off the city’s nucleus. The apartment's design is marked by an omnipresent interplay amid warm tones, raw materiality, metals, classic monochromes, and colour in coy doses. Entering the apartment, one is drawn into the gallery-esque foyer, which likens itself to a connective spine, branching into various nodes of the home. Flanking one edge is a metal and wood stratified partition system with curated bric-a-brac. This feature is a veil of sorts, endowing the communal areas it faces with a layer of privacy. Half a dozen greyscale prints form a collage, creating a subtle focal point.

Roosted behind a ribbed glass door off the foyer, the powder room is awash in a heady shade of earthen orange, offset by a sea of retrogeometric floor tiles in black and white. A band of circlebearing sepia tiles line the wall, strengthening the warm palette while alluding to the shape’s recurrent presence throughout the residence.

To amplify the perception of space, the formal living area with an adjoining bar island has been placed behind the sofa. A live-edge countertop crowns the black elm wood base, the latter resembling a sculptural insert with its curved form and sinuous mouldings. An exposed wine rack along one edge introduces elevated functionality, making the in-house collection’s perusal seamless! The eclectically-upholstered bar stools administer a strong dose of a rust hue and Aztec patterns, riffing off the monotoned demeanour of the space.

The communal areas further unspool into the dining space, showcasing exceptional restraint using ivory tones, ash wood, and a motley of plush fabrics. The views framed along either edge of the dining area are divergent yet compellingly woven into each other’s vicinity - a spirited, red-orange kitchen and a finned crockery unit. The fabric luminaire paints the milieu at dusk with a gossamer hue, optimally suited for relishing conversations and sumptuous spreads. Bordering the dining area, the crockery unit symbolises functional elegance. Wood fins create deep recesses to display curated pieces upon thick pedestals. The grain quality of the wood embeds animated movement, enabling one’s gaze to soak in the details with keen attention. The unit turns a corner with a wooden fin assuming a gently curved silhouette, forming a pooja nook. Brass bells descend from the ceiling, framing the deity in a serene vignette.

The dining area overlooks the kitchen characterised by rich colours and dramatic imagery, exhibiting alchemy between terracotta millwork and a lattice of lustrous, ebony backsplash tiles.

The colours intensify the visual contrast to the muted shell of the apartment, making this a frame discovered almost by surprise while exploring the home.

Steering one’s transition through the residence, the rear end of the passageway creates a moment of intentional pause. A tailor-made clay wall installation by The Potter’s Place impersonates the fusion of artisanship and modernist inclinations. Crafted by a homegrown collective of sculptors, the installation showcases handmoulded clay forms against a grainy wooden backdrop, enticing one to touch and feel finishes peppered throughout the apartment. This centrepiece is an impeccable segue into the couple’s retreat, the media room. The imposing door to the that room is lofty, painted matte black, save for its crimson handles. The unconventional colour choice elevates the status of the door to an artistic creation that also serves as a spatial element. The architects wanted to brew a sense of intrigue as one pushes the doors open to the couple’s realm of entertainment. Mystery and awe rent the air as a dark-toned palette cloaks the room’s interior. The walls are painted black, and the choice of light wood veneer draws on their distinctions to offer the residents a cinematic ambience wherein the materials put on a theatrical performance of their own.

Grounding its inhabitants in a caress of zen, the master suite bears a filmic quality of tranquility that verges on ethereal. The room rests behind the sheltering clasp of a black elm double door. Its charcoal hue commands attention, bashfully guarding the refuge it holds within. Details like the crown of circles overhead, the louvred slats for privacy, and the sleek brass hardware grant the door an installation-like identity. Inside, the design vocabulary is evocative of whimsical Scandinavian quarters. The array of wood rafters leads one’s sight towards the upholstered bed its headboard extends into an installation of rectangular members resembling a delectable bar of white chocolate! On one side, the banana fiber pendant softly radiates its light over the canvas of framed fabric, facilitating an appreciation of the textile. The room’s flooring sits dressed in a light wood laminate, layered in areas by handwoven rugs.

Creating a dialogue between whites and woods, the bedroom is the perfect stage for daylight and textures to emerge prominently, highlighting the theme of ease and comfort.

The journey to the bath is prefaced by a linear dressing space equipped with a fulllength mirror cum sliding door and peripheral wardrobes in ash wood. The ensuite bathroom dives deep into the semblance of indulgence, anchored by a suave porcelain bathtub atop the speckled mosaic floors, tenderly lit by the globed chandelier above. A shower cubicle and capacious vanity elevate the benchmark of luxury, the latter enlarging the visual expanse and light with its trio of oblong mirrors forged in black metal to counterbalance the copious beige.

Embedding tactile warmth amid modernism, the guest bedroom fondly hosts the family’s loved ones. The eggshellhued room celebrates the union of muted colours, natural materials, and resilient textures, bolstering the narrative that courses through the apartment. A light wood bed dominates the scene, its slender olive headboard posing as the harbinger of colour. Below, slatted wood and segments of cane create projecting nightstands, incorporating playful texture into the blend.