Every home reflects the homeowner's lifestyle, giving insights into the individual's personality and sensibilities. This 1,200 square feet apartment in Ahmedabad belongs to architect Neha Rajora, her photographer/filmmaker husband, and their 10-year-old Labrador, and is designed by Rajora herself.
The interiors are a manifestation of their memories and personalities and the layout has been planned keeping in mind their current lifestyle and needs. “I am from Jaipur and my husband is from Ahmedabad. We wanted our home to have an essence of our individual hometowns,” says Rajora.
Ahmedabad Apartment | Design Strategy
Rajora reworked the layout to convert the 3-BHK apartment into a 2-BHK by getting rid of one bedroom and kitchen walls in order to open up the entire space. The opened-up bedroom now functions as a lounge/home theatre and fits perfectly into the scheme as the couple loves to host. A kitchen island was incorporated that acts as a subtle division among the three spaces—kitchen, lounge and dining. “It also created more space for our dog to wander and play around,” explains Rajora.
Ahmedabad Apartment | Personal Touches
The walls are neutral and it allows the furniture and decor to steal the limelight. The apartment is replete with artwork that has either been made by them, gifted by friends, or sourced during their travels. The grey wall adjacent to the dining space plays host to a number of photographs mounted across its length, celebrating their cherished moments.
“My husband is a photographer and the pictures were really something we wanted to showcase well. This wall has become a great element to reflect on our best memories,” shares Rajora. House plants are ubiquitous throughout the apartment and co-exist flawlessly with the rest of the bright decor that largely renders a flavour of both their hometowns.
Ahmedabad Apartment | Living Room Décor
The main entrance leads you into the living room where a white trunk belonging to the client's grandmother functions as the centre table and has been reworked by adding four carved wooden legs. This piece is surrounded on two sides by a turquoise-coloured sofa. A wooden swing is suspended at the opposite end of the living room lending a distinct Gujarati aesthetic to the home. The TV cabinet is sourced from Vintage Wood Crafts and the planters are designed by Rajora herself. The living room opens up onto a small terrace.
Ahmedabad Apartment | Kitchen Colours
The dining space, positioned centrally within the apartment, constitutes an industrial table with a bench designed in-house and chairs sourced from Jodhpur. The kitchen exudes a predominantly white finish with pops of grey and black and opens up into a pantry and a utility room on either side. The space incorporates a light grey kitchen island with a local white marble top, complemented by industrial wooden bar stools and two metal pendant lamps suspended above. The backsplash comprises white herringbone tiles and the choice of a black granite stone counter-top imparts a favourable contrast to the white cabinets. The pantry door doubles up as a chalkboard that comes handy in planning weekly meals.
Ahmedabad Apartment | Bedrooms and Lounge
Set against the backdrop of a white brick wall, the lounge is characterised by Indian floor seating—a tasteful selection of floor cushions, hand-woven rugs and an ottoman sourced from Jaipur along with a wooden khatiya designed by Rajora. The curtains here and in the rest of the apartment have been customised in-house with fabric sourced from Fab India.
Flanked by bedrooms on either side, a longitudinal master bathroom was created by eliminating the internal wall existing between the two bathrooms. This bathroom opens up into the master bedroom and holds a walk-in closet. The beds and closets in both the bedrooms have been designed in-house.
The master bedroom also flaunts a turquoise chair, a painted wooden table along with an elephant print rug, artwork and plants. The guest bedroom includes an elegant seating adjacent to the window and the closet at the opposite end is clad in mirrors to make the space feel bigger while functioning as a dressing mirror.
“With a rustic-modern living room, the dining area with an industrial table, bar stools with vintage pendant lamps flowing into a modern kitchen, opening into Indian-style lounge area, four different design styles come together as one in this eclectic design,” says Rajora, summing up the overall aesthetic of her apartment.
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