This 3,000-square-foot modern-Indian Bengaluru home is living history

Architect Prakruthi Rao of Studio Prakruthi creates a calming oasis within a Bengaluru home.

Published on Architectural Digest India, 30th May, 2024

Memories are a peculiar beast. Often bittersweet, we hold on to them as much as let them go. Homes are the best memory keepers — they speak silently, of tastes, travels, thoughtful gifts, laughter-filled meals at the dining table, hugs exchanged at the front door and more. And Ms Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar, wanted her new Bengaluru home in a bustling neighbourhood to be just that — an extension of her identity and reminiscent of the life shared with her late husband, over 50 years of togetherness.

Prakruthi Rao, founder and lead architect at Studio Prakruthi, designed ‘Apartment V’ an airy 3,000 square feet modern-Indian Bengaluru home filled with artworks that her client’s husband collected over his lifetime. She repurposed ancient South Indian wood rafters from their family farm ‘Madhavi’ into doors, lights and door handles, veritably infusing the home with a sense of history.

Rao, in her eponymous studio’s first project, created what she describes as a “Temple-like oasis with a contemporary flair. The material language of the interiors has a connection with land, and the atmosphere of the apartment is an embodiment of the Indian way of living – of finding comfort in shade, whilst being visually connected to the city and the natural environment.”

A Brief History Of Time

The brief focused on Ms Vijayalakshmi, a patron of arts and culture — including collectibles from her life and tinging the ground floor apartment with elements characteristic to South Indian traditions, was a given. The spatial brief highlighted a quiet, spacious home for one person, with enough room for entertaining guests during festivals.

The layout divides the expansive home into two parts: one half of more private spaces, the other half for entertaining. The former includes a media, kitchen, dining space and master bedroom — the kitchen exemplifies the modern-Indian concept, embracing a modern stove top, ancient grinding stone and bronze vessels with ease.

 The other half unites a guest bedroom, living room with a shaded setback garden and an open temple, occupying a central position, all of which are visually connected, adding a sense of openness to the space. The home study sits in a very prominent position, ensconced between the entertaining and private spaces, connected to the living room and garden. The idea behind the gentle bifurcation? “To create a visual distinction within the hierarchy of privacy one desires in a dwelling, without compromising on the feeling of openness,” shares Rao.

Light and shadow play with sheers, large windows and indoor spaces being connected with the garden allow the client to seek refuge inside, while being pleasantly connected with nature. Think afternoons spent on the planter’s chair, looking up to the foliage of an aged Gulmohar tree on the sidewalk of the adjoining road.

The Art Of The Interior

While the spatial planning functionally divides the house, the interior design language ties it together. A colour palette of meditative neutral shades is paired with a stripped-down, nearly austere aesthetic.

There’s a profusion of wood work, in straight-lined furniture, and recycled rafters getting new life as doors, lights, and more. The material palette mirrors the studio’s inclination for “natural purity and using materials that are replenishable and friendly to the environment”. Thanks to the client’s preference for the same, Rao was able to keep the flooring practically bare, “We only polished the existing floor slab and added a little treatment, almost like a light layer of cream on your skin.”

Concrete floors, mud-plaster cabinetry panelling, white marble skirting and recycled teak wood rafters set the tonality of the home. Judicious use of natural brass and copper adds a gentle lustre to the other-wise minimal space. The pared-down apartment is minimalist in its design approach, but the gentle adherence to traditions and legacy artworks make it a warm, memory-infused museum of one family’s history.