HOTEL SUNDERBAN KOREGAON PARK, PUNE

In Pune’s historic neighbourhood of Koregaon Park, amidst the sprawling estate that once belonged to the royal Gaekwad family of Baroda, sits a stately bungalow built between 1924 and 1926. Now run as a boutique hotel by owner and custodian Suresh Talera, this quietly beautiful art deco case study is an experience, not a spectacle.

- AASTHA D

The essence of Hotel Sunderban lies in its refusal of excess. It is an example of art deco that is not flamboyant but gentle in its sensibilities. There are no towering façades, no aggressive embellishments. Instead, there is a commitment to restraint. A window is not just an opening but a way of framing the world outside; a passageway is not merely functional but an experience of movement through dappled light and textured walls. The walls, weathered by sun and rain, absorb and reflect light differently as the day passes. Stone floors cool the air underfoot and wooden shutters filter daylight into shifting patterns. The layout is intuitive, leading people through a series of transitions-semi-open corridors, leafy courtyards, and spaces that hover between inside and outside. These elements do not just serve aesthetic purposes; they create an architecture that breathes, one that understands climate and human scale.