THE OPEN HOUSE,
AHMEDABAD, 2024
This home, fondly called by its inhabitants as The Open House, honours the human need to connect with nature and with each other. Spatial boundaries blur across verandahs, gardens and voids. Rooms flow into one another and floors converse. At the centre, an industrial steel staircase rises within the courtyard like a quiet sculptural axis. Not just circulation, but a moment of connection. One feels the presence of others as one moves. The warmth of the space lies in the details: sliding wooden-framed doors, timber ceilings in the passages and textures that whisper. This home doesn’t shy away from softness. Kotah stone floors ground the interiors while white walls and ceilings set the stage for Indian upholstery in earthy neutrals and a curated collection of art — many pieces personally gathered by the homeowners and thoughtfully woven into the visual narrative by the designers.
To navigate Ahmedabad’s searing climate, the design team turned to passive design. Thick cavity walls shield the west while minimal openings on the sun-drenched east and west facades reduce heat gain. The house opens up liberally to the north bringing in ample day light without direct solar gain and the south where siding folding screens break the sun down before it enters into the spaces. The central courtyard with its open-to-sky volume pulls in light, flushing out heat and offering a daily communion with nature. Openable wooden slat screens, draping creepers and a shaded southwest garden choreograph breeze and shadow into a living, breathing canvas.
For the occupiers of this house who are originally from West Bengal, one of the home’s most symbolic touches lies in the dining area. A bold double-height wall in red pigmented concrete set against white fluid pendant lamp is a quiet ode to the Lal par sada saree — a Bengali icon where white speaks of purity and red sings of celebration.
Photographer: Umang Shah
