The Ahmedabad ‘show flat’ , with its international appeal, is for young buyers looking to book their first house.
The ‘show flat’ in Ahmedabad by Sachin Agshikar employs a minimalist aesthetic, even as the spaces are organised to optimise flow.
“Everything here has a purpose and function. This is the strength of the design,” Agshikar says. The colour palette is subtle. While the lobby uses more high-end materials than the flat, the colour palette remains the same, maintaining continuity. The flooring is in Italian marble, but other finishes don’t require much maintenance.
“The garden outside was quite lush, so rather than have more trees in the lobby, I installed tree-shaped sculptures,” he says. A see-through wooden partition acts as a backdrop for the spherical pendant lights.
The entrance to the apartment sets the tone for what is to come. Favouring natural tones, it is populated by whites, black, cream and the beiges and browns of natural wood. A large five-foot wide white duco-painted door swivels open on a pivot rather than hinges.
“Since the location of the building was not in a premium area, the builders didn’t want to go over the top in terms of budget. I suggested that the design should target young buyers purchasing their first house. The aesthetic is simple with international undertones,” Agshikar says.
The layout was modified by moving a few walls. Staggering the walls resulted in the corridor having a greater width towards the living room. Also, the wall separating the kitchen and the dining was replaced by wooden blinds.
Since the builder wanted to use tiles for flooring, ones that look like concrete were chosen. The furniture has clean lines, purchased from Scandinavian manufacturer BoConcept.
An abstract assemblage of rectangles in various sizes delineates the living and dining areas. Glass replaces the corner of a wall in the guest-cum-entertainment room. A pedestal lamp has been placed in front of this glass, to prevent people from walking into it.
All the lights are LEDs. Two black inverted cone-like pendant lamps above the dining table illuminate the space, their shape echoed by the table lamps, which flank the sofa in the living room. A soft glow emanates from behind the backrest of the sofa, while a floating shelf in the guest room is in-lit.
