The
confluence of contrasting energies – hot & cold – has been the center of
the written word. And what is design but an anthology of colours, lines, and
textures, woven like phrases punctuated by commas and periods. This 4BHK house
in Coimbatore rests on a delicate balance of contrasting colours and neutral
lines. Tones of teal and terracotta weave on and off white unruled walls.
Precision and balance of form, along with colours and textures characterise the
design scheme, while simplicity of thought strips any unnecessary opulence.
The
main teak-lined door opens to a staggered teal subway tile wall. The flooring
is punctuated with black and white marble stripes. The foyer sets a tone for
the words to come. The narrow entrance opens into a large living-dining-kitchen
complex which has soft light streaming in from the courtyard. The living space
aims to embody the starry night by Van Gogh in its use of colours and
positioning of the fern.
The
exposed brick courtyard and the blue sky above act as a necessary pause for the
overflowing colours. The dining and kitchen are full stops. The use of reeded
glass, lines to separate the two spaces and neutral colours help conclude the
short story that the ground floor is. The dining table is a simple,
custom-designed piece of furniture from reclaimed wood whose sturdy legs are
made to look sleek by the use of grooves.
The
lower verse connects to the upper verse by the way of a staircase. The marble
grains of the treads and risers align with each other in a perfect rhyme
scheme. The grooves along the staircase wall run like lines on paper: at equal
spaces, bringing texture. The powder room is located to the right of the
staircase. The space is an epitome of well-balanced warm and cool tones. The
turquoise mosaic walls cradle a warm teak vanity with a navy-blue wash basin.
The
bedrooms are balanced verses with hot and cold phrases and the basic
punctuations. These colours and lines worm their way into the bathrooms in
nuanced concepts. The bedrooms and bathrooms tell their stories through
texture: tile and fabric. The flooring creates a visual index of spaces. It
helps guide people to various spaces without the need for partitions, rendering
the rooms larger and more spacious. The lighting is a series of dots and
dashes. Spelling out words by day and shadows by night.