Sand by Studio Nishita Kamdar

One of the beautiful things about art, architecture and design is their ability to reflect the things we see and experience around us. Our Travels , thoughts, inspirations and encounters always find a way to wiggle into our designs in the most discreet way. This house speaks loud and clear of its inspirational roots — which come, incidentally, from the natural world us and around it self. Settled amidst a lush patch of green mangroves , inspiration from nature was obvious. The 950 Sq ft compact apartment in a high rise tower of Mumbai, is occupied by a mother and daughter and comprises of 3 bedrooms , a living room , a kitchen and a small balcony space. 

Thoughtful replanning of furniture and smart design elements bring together a space that seamlessly flows into one an another, making the house look soothingly cosy, comfortable and very elegant. The house is located amidst beautiful mangroves and a large green garden . taking inspiration from nature was inevitable. The desert often invokes a sense of vastness, infinity , ever changing landscapes and uncertainty which could be intriguing. We interpreted Sand as that force which brings about a visual serenity in the home as it does in a desert. The ever changing natures of the shifting of sand , like in the home makes a space which could be ever changing and flexible as well. The soft beige tone of the sand almost blends in the the human skin tone , and neutralises everything , it doesnt fight to stand out , it lets the heroes stand out.Taking inspiration from the beautiful colors of sand, The overriding design concept was to envelope the otherwise small home, in the lovely shades of sand ranging from light beige , to darker beige , to sometimes yellows, salmons and even oranges . It adds a relaxing and harmonious touch to the space allows to create a cosy tranquil ambience.This coupled with warm tones of oakwood and teak wood and sensuous linen and jute fabrics , make it ideal for the perfect tropical indian home. 

As one enters through the Oak Veneer Clad Door , one is greeted with a veneered patch work and stained Shoe unit from Niroka. The dining space inspired heavily from the minimalist Wabi Sabi Design Aesthetic is tucked towards the wall to form a slim and sleek Bench style seating with a simple indian marble top Dining Table. The dining chairs handcrafted with Teak wood and Cane compliment and stand out amongst the neutral toned space. a very art deco inspired milky globe light looms over the dining area. Tucking the bench to one side opened up the living room space and visually makes it look larger. A salmon pink sofa and corbusian inspired chairs , a beautiful hand dyed Rug and live edge centre table throng the living room space. the rear end wall of the living room has a large black metal and wood bookshelf, a avid reader the client wanted to showcase their prized possession , the glass enables one to easily view the collection of 

books. 

The entire length of the wall from the Dining area all the way till the end of the passage is clad in a panelling inspired from the japanese shoji screen pattern of thin tendril like teak wood verticals and black metal horizontal batons . This discreetly hides the several doors and storage spaces along that wall , thus giving an illusion of connectivity and adding length to the otherwise broken space. along this very wall the Glass kitchen screens open up from the centre like a shoji screen would , to give a full view of the olive green and wood clad kitchen space. 

Muted White Oak shades of wood and Pine wood beautifully merge with the sand coloured walls to give a very soothing visual feast. The house almost feels like a monotone one , with most colors not contrasting to each other but almost blurring into each other. This also makes the space look cosier and larger than it actually is. The Sand shade bounces of the yellow sunlight and almost makes the entire space glow. The daughters room , a modern minimalistic yet very sharply designed space has a low metal bed with a black metal book shelf on one side and sand and cane wardrobes. cubist geometric side tables and casual table mounted art work make the space look very informal and cosy. Tones of purple yam headboard and tangerine bedding blend in effortlessly with the warm sand walls. 

The mothers bedroom clad in a hand carved oak wood headboard . The wardrobes again wrapped in the Sand stained wood and Cane form an interesting geometrical compositions along with the oval mirror . With offcuts from the plywood used on site , we designed a lovely totem like floor standing floor lamp with a hemp fabric shade for ambient lighting as well as to create a staggering corner piece. 

The guest bedroom hidden discreetly behind the shoji screen like cladding, comprises of a mauve louvered wardrobe along one wall and large windows with unobstructed views of the garden below. a sleek wooden sofa cum bed with plush cushions , a black burnt wood shelf and study desk , filled with curios from all around the world , make this a befitting room to reminiscence and laze. 

located on the first floor of the building , the apartment overlooks absolutely lush plantation and almost hugs the trees surrounding it. The warm sunlight filters through linen sheers to create almost a magical sandy desert mood in the space. smart clean detailing and restrained accent pieces make the home appear like a lovely lazy summer daze.