FULL CIRCLE

Inspired by the Japanese ensō symbol, which embodies a state of Zen, this apartment in Surat by CO.lab Design Studio serves as a practical example of infinity

- VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR

Circles are a funny thing. They end where they begin and begin where they end-finite yet infinite, full yet somehow incomplete. "They're a little bit like life," muses architect Vikram Bhatt, who is evidently no stranger to the wonders of their roundness in both life and lore. So much so that the founder and principal of Surat-based CO.lab Design Studio drew inspiration from the wily shape in conceiving his latest work of art: a curvilinear apartment in India's Diamond City-though from farther afield than he had originally anticipated. "There was something about the enso that captivated me," he continues, referring to the hand-drawn Japanese symbol associated with the zen state of mind, "And the owners too."