This home designed by Annkur Khosla Design Studio captures the essence of connectivity and the themes of flow and calm can be found throughout the space.
Photos by Annkur Khosla Design Studio
The apartment is designed where the core of the project is the staircase and various activities and spaces that extrude out of the central space on each level.
Annkur Khosla has graduated from the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai. She has done her Post Graduate Diploma in Indian Aesthetics at Jnanapravaha and a brief stint at the NYSID
(New York School of Interior Design), New York.
She has her bespoke design studio in World Trade Centre, Mumbai. The firm has undertaken architectural building, bungalow and interior projects in India and abroad. They also have ventured in designing for hospitality and wellness spaces.
The firm has been nominated as one of the 50 Next Generation Architects of India in 2012, Space Explorer Dynamos of 2013 by "Vogue" magazine, one of the 100 Leading Architects of India by "Architect and Interiors" 2015 & 2016 and one of the fifteen Upper Crust designers by "Casa Vogue",2015 . The firm has won several nominations for awards in India and abroad and has been featured in Indian and international magazines.
The philosophy of the firm is to create soulful and meaningful spaces with unique and path-breaking designs.
The apartment is split in three levels where the ground floor area is 1024 sq.ft. and 1st and 2nd floors are approx 1356 sq. ft. each. The challenge was creating connectivity between all three floors with the limitation of odd-sized cut-outs in the slab in the project.
Residential living requires interaction and communication from various individuals working and living in it. Framing of such connections as apertures is the concept of the apartment. These apertures and openings facilitate light to filter into the core of the apartment in addition to the visual dialogues.
The activity of climbing the first flight of the staircase and still being able to peek into the seating area below allows for such communication. The staircase railing, an interlocking of extruded forms allow for apertures and interaction when one is climbing to the first and second levels individually.
These conversational openings are viewed in several instances in the project - the activity of climbing the first flight of the staircase and still being able to peek into the seating area through the circular opening consciously positioned at human eye level. The aspect of connectivity at the dining area – the extruded form also acts as a framed partition cum buffet table to allow interaction from the serving level to the individuals seated on the chairs. It also acts as a serving counter for people sitting in the dining space. In addition to this at the den on the first floor of the apartment- circular metal riveted apertures connecting the staircase passage with the den-- allow visual connectivity as well.
We asked by Annkur Khosla Design Studio 5 innovative aspects of this house:
1. Staircase railing has been very innovatively designed so as to represent the various interlocking forms as individuals in a house. Also, the forms are such that they allow for connectivity and interaction.
2. The hardware for the entrance door is a version of the staircase railing detail taking an extruded form and then making it ergonomically comfortable. Similarly, the handrail is also an extruded form placed at an angle of convenience. They all seem as if parts of the entire whole get distributed along wall surfaces.
3. The buffet table for the dining space is not a traditional storage box but a form suspended from the ceiling and it acts like a window for interaction and connectivity with the seating ahead.
4.The wall connecting the den space from the staircase has circular punctures acting as connective elements between the two spaces and allows light to filter.
5. The screen connecting the staircase space and the lounge area on the second floor is jagged and is a combination of metal and wood At all levels an interesting element of connectivity is retained.