For Nruthya Kesavan and Ishwar Sridharan, the vision for their Bengaluru home was divided right down the middle. “Our requirements presented a bit of a conundrum for the design team,” recalls Kesavan, a technology professional. “While I wanted a colonial touch reminiscent of my grandparents’ home where I grew up, Ishwar was keen on a South Indian aesthetic that wasn’t overly traditional. It was a divided brief that Gayathri and Shreya somehow made good on.” The Gayathri and Shreya in question were Gayathri Padmam and Shreya Salian, principal architect and project lead respectively of Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary firm Aanai Design Studio, whom the couple found on Instagram and subsequently tapped to take on the design reins.
Artful Arches
When they purchased the apartment, the high ceilings, large windows and ample footprint were definite draws for the couple, for whom—obvious aesthetic considerations aside—these were important in ensuring a happier environment for their Golden Retriever, Zeno. “One side of the home had a beautiful view of the city, while the other overlooked a tranquil lake,” says Sridharan, an entrepreneur. “But above all, there was this prevailing sense of calmness that pervaded the entire space.”
In a bid to keep the calmness intact, Padmam pared down the design while dialling up the palette. She chose wooden furniture, rust-hued fabrics and wallpapers with ethnic flourishes to serve as a backdrop for the tour de force: a smorgasbord of arched wall alcoves—some filled with art, others left empty. “Because they love to travel, we wanted to leave room for souvenirs and tchotchkes from their future travels. The home was designed to grow with them,” says Padmam.
Minimalist Maximalist
The home is modern and traditional, maximalist and minimalist—depending on which way you look at it. The living room, for example, is a dazzling pink jewel box where everything belongs in equal spirit. A wooden oonjal (traditional South Indian swing) levitates above a dazzling carpet sourced on the couple’s travels to the Middle East. A little way away, four-generations-old brassware from Kesavan’s mother’s collection enlivens the centre tables.
In the foyer, a Buddha sculpture backgrounds an antique temple pillar, while Madhubani and Thangka paintings characterise the walls around. Much of the furniture is antique, whispering of a past but speaking to the present. The abiding pinkness endures into the primary and guest bedrooms, appearing in a chair here or an arch there—slowly, wistfully, until it dissolves altogether into the sunlight.
Today, the home holds a mirror to both Kesavan and Sridharan’s original visions. It’s part-traditional, part-modern, half his and half hers. And yet, it’s complete in every way. For a couple who loves travelling and exploring new places, staying home has never been easier.
Also read:
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This Nainital home in the mountains is an ode to its owners’ Kumaoni roots
Kunal Nayyar and Neha Kapur’s Delhi home is a love letter to India
