Reader’s Room

Scope of Work: Interior Design

Typology: Residential, Apartment

Location: Prabhadevi, Mumbai, India

Year: 2022

Status: Completed

Size: 125 sq.ft./ 11.6 sq.m.

Design Team: Kasturi Wagh, Vineet Hingorani, Madhura Karekar

Photography Credits: Rishul Bangar

Bright yellow painted walls chipped over time, faded flooring, exposed electrical conduits and a rusty window AC - these were a few things that caught our attention when we first set foot in the bedroom. The bedroom, despite being a standard size, seemed small and cramped. Large bulky chests and storage units were being repurposed as bedside tables and work desks adding on to the clutter.

As architects, we love to take cues from our clients' personalities and try to reflect that in our designs. Our clients being avid readers and travellers, we took it upon ourselves to weave this into our design scheme. A large ribbon window flanks one wall of the room and overlook a healthy tree with a rather large foliage. This, in hindsight, subconsciously inspired us to gravitate towards a muted colour palette involving warm whites, sage greens and wooden textures.

Borrowing hues and textures from the large tree that stoically stands besides the apartment block visible via the ribbon window aids in creating a visual extension of the ‘inside’ flowing onto the ‘outside’. Shades of whites, off-whites and grays help bounce of the natural light making the volume seem much larger than usual. A simple experimentation with colour and light.

Another important goal of the design scheme is to increase functionality of the space smartly. A lot of people find inaccessible spaces, like under ledges or stairs, a waste of prime square footage. A similar scenario was presented to us in this project wherein the ribbon window cill that protruded into the room created a vacuum of non-usable space under it. Knowing our clients are avid readers and have a penchant for collecting souvenirs from their travels near and far, we took it as an opportunity to create a bookshelf-cum-storage unit that fits snugly under the ledge and provides enough and more space to house items that were previously being stored in large and garish bedside cupboards and chest units. Bulky storage units are replaced with floating bedside tables adding another layer of airiness in the room.

Though small in size, Reader’s Room is big in design and functionality with the end goal of creating a minimal, subtle and calming escape for a young couple after a day’s hard work at the office!