The house of Ballygunge

Name of Project: The House of Ballygunge
Name of Design Firm: AB Design
Location: Kolkata
Typology: Residential
Area: 3,700 sq.ft.
Date of Completion: April 2024
Principal Architect/Designer: Aanchhal Bhuwalka
Photography Credits: Kuber Shah

This residence was created by merging two adjacent apartments into one and making it a four-bedroom home. The design journey began with understanding the family's requirements and then creating spaces to fulfill them, since for Aanchhal Bhuwalka, every design story begins with a conversation.

As the client owns the entire floor, Aanchhal was able to implement the changes right from the lift lobby for a thread of design continuity. However, being an old structure, there were a few challenges like the columns, that had to be worked around and included in the design scheme without compromising on the aesthetics. A case in point being the column of the wall to separate the two apartments that was broken down, which now supports a swing in the living area and seems to have been erected specifically for that purpose.
Right from the spacious living and dining areas that are visually separated by the swing that can be operated from both sides, to the home theatre room, which was a space outside of the apartment and was brought in, or the bar area and the mandir, or the extra utility area in the kitchen that helps keep the space de-cluttered, Aanchhal has managed to create a modern luxurious home for her client.
To maintain the aesthetics, one finds the use of sliding doors, camouflaged doors, mouldings and shutters to storage areas and the like.
The family area has an informal sit-out which leads to the four bedrooms, the doors, however, are cleverly hidden adding an interesting dimension to this area. The kids' room is next to the master bedroom while their play area is beside the parent's room. The colour and material palette as well as the conveniences are designed to suit the age and interest of the occupants and extends to the bathrooms as well.

Aanchhal has experimented with a lot of textures throughout the house, especially in the fabric used in the seating options in all areas. Since the ceiling height was low and she wanted to use dashes of colour in different areas of the house to add character, Aanchhal decided to go with white marble for the flooring in the entire space including the bathrooms. This not only became the perfect backdrop for the bursts of colour but also created the perfect balance to bring all the elements together and making the entire house brighter.