Chennai Bungalow House

Courtesy: Architectural digest india
HOME DECORATING
A contemporary home in Chennai that celebrates South Indian architectural traditions
Located in the heart of the city, this courtyard home designed by Studio Context Architects is an inward-looking dwelling that delights with its light-filled and open-to-nature aesthetics
Shruti Omprakash| Published: Nov 26, 2020 | 07:30:49 IST Suvirnath Photography & Waseem.F.Ahmed (WFA)
Chennai-home-interior-design-architecture
The home features passive cooling techniques and also ensures it is well-lit naturally
This 3,500-square-feet home in Chennai, composed of two solid volumes raised on stilts, is intuitive, comfortable and an ideal haven for its dwellers. Raghuveer Ramesh (the design lead for the project) and Sharanya Srinivasan, partners at Studio Context Architects were the creative minds behind the project. “The site is in a relatively low lying area, and is prone to flooding. This led us to design a structure on stilts,” says Ramesh. The home features a grand stairway accentuated by lush landscape, that welcomes guests inside. “Our clients-a young family of three-wanted an open yet secure home for their daughter to grow up in. The brief was to design the home keeping in mind a modern aesthetic woven intricately together with the concepts of a traditional regional house.”
Planning
“The property, accessed by a common passage is located behind our clients’ parents' home, and surrounded by apartment buildings on all other sides. Given that the surroundings were rather unremarkable, the essence had to come from within the home itself. The added challenge of bringing in plenty of natural light and ventilation without creating too many openings made it abundantly clear to us to design a home focusing on the experience from within,” avers Srinivasan. The residence has been planned around its nucleus: the courtyard. It draws inspiration from the traditional South Indian 'mutram' or courtyard. All spaces are designed around this central sphere in various ways-be it by physically traversing through it to access different spaces or being visible from all areas at all times. The living, kitchen, dining and bedrooms overlook the courtyard at different levels. A metal staircase connects the upper levels and captures attention.
Living room
The living room is just off the central courtyard. It is a well-proportioned space and enjoys the first rays of the sun filtering from the courtyard. A puja room in one corner, facing east is discreetly hidden behind white perforated shutters. An exposed concrete ceiling offset by smooth white walls and accentuated by furniture with pops of colour define the materiality of this place.
“When the living room is opened up, a jhula swings out to the walkway. This widens and descends into the courtyard, creating convenient pockets of seating on the steps for cozy conversation or impromptu play,” adds Srinivasan.
Kitchen & Dining
These spaces are elevated from the living and create dynamism within the floor plates. Deep teal shutters in the kitchen and dining beautifully complement the exposed concrete ceiling. “We’ve designed these spaces to overlook the courtyard. The parents can keep an eye on their daughter from the kitchen as she plays in the open,” says Ramesh.
Bedrooms & Family Room
The master bedroom is lit and ventilated predominantly by the courtyard. The morning sunlight streams into the bedroom, gently lighting up the space.
“The family room is a truly personal space filled with elements that evoke emotions of familiarity for our clients. For example, the bright orange couch reminiscent of the popular sitcom Friends or the larger-than-life portrait of actor Rajnikanth on one of the walls is tailored to their preferences,” Srinivasan explains.
Courtyard
This space is awash with light for most part of the day, courtesy the open-to-sky skylight. Contextually and physically the courtyard is the place that brings the home together. “We envision the courtyard to don multiple roles,” says Ramesh. “Akin to the courtyards of yore, the family life revolves around this space. This is where the daughter spends most of her time playing either with her friends or grandparents, under the rain or the sun.”
The home features passive cooling techniques and also ensures it is well-lit naturally, throughout the day. The courtyard floor has been intentionally lowered by a foot & a half from the living room to prevent splashing during heavy rains. “This home is all about its rich experiential quality. Our intention is to design a comfortable and a grounded (metaphorically speaking) dwelling for our clients to live and thrive in. The architecture has shaped the lifestyle of the young family and vice versa,” Srinivasan concludes.

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