Architects Ankita Sweety and Pratyoosh Chandan, the designer duo behind New Delhi-based Studio An-V-Thot Architects Pvt. Ltd., wanted their work place to be their own world of colours and spatiality.
It took 2 rigorous months of strict budgeting, multiple on-site obstacle solving, and parallel studio activity for the work space of Studio AVT to be made over. But it was all worth it.
The junior studio features high display panels to its left, facing the library-cum-waiting area. The blue in the niche of the sunken waiting area is complemented by symmetrically-positioned pigeon holes for exposed display of books and magazines against a white backdrop. The usage of dark wallpaper here adds contrast to the enclosure.
The 650 sq. ft. studio has been planned along a hierarchy system. A dark room at the center gives way to a junior zone and a senior zone, while an imaginary path thus created, from one end to the other end of the office, takes the visitor through various volumes of spatial experiences. The third zone is created in the rear, which caters to the services. The irony of the dark room, with bands of yellow, blue and brown, clearly showcases the designers’ embodied humor.
The ‘Boxes of Colours’ space acts as a display for project model while in fact being a model in itself. A casual seating is an add-on to the space. The space next to the dark room acts as Senior Studio, again fit with high display panels, and also caters to discussions/conferences.
The exhibition space has been developed with a drop-down ceiling to break the proportion and create a dramatic effect while also adding a level to the passage. This dark corridor with a play of light acts as a display unit and serves as the contrast to the vibrant playfulness of the rest of the studio.
The Principal Cabin, overlooking the rest of the office, can be seen as a mix of youthfulness and authority. Low saturated colours, a single small box of yellow, and white furniture intentionally break the attitude here. Apart from 3 visitor chairs, the linear and elongated seating with floating supports serve the basic purpose while also increasing the depth of vision.
Grey PVC flooring extends throughout the office, except in the Principal Cabin. Wooden laminate flooring has been used in the Main Cabin. A large amount of MDF-finished, German-based PU Pigment Paint has been used for the blue, yellow and white.
Dark wallpapers can be thematically seen at various intervals. Gypsum board partitions and false ceilings have been used to cater to time constraints. Glass partitions too have been used, while LEDs provide the low-energy-consuming illumination. Low-density fiber boards with a selection of fabrics were used for the display panels. High-quality, well-crafted blinds were procured from various road-side vendors.
The Studio is undoubtedly a designer's expression of life within boundaries, where colours add playfulness, and thoughts and ideas are free.
