Of Lineal Expressions

Through the simplest interventions, architects Anand Deshmukh and Chetan Lahoti of Mind Manifestation Design LLP, design a 3BHK home in Pune that is a perfect balance of usability and aesthetics.

- Alifiya Mehamdabadwala

Good design is a culmination of several factors, but at its core it is human-centric. It's not just an architect’s design chops but their ability to understand and respond to the needs and preferences of their client that results in a truly successful project. The apartment featured here is a perfect example of the same. Mind Manifestation Design LLP, led by architects Anand Deshmukh and Chetan Lahoti, were roped in by an IT professional to design a 3BHK apartment in Pune for a family of five (the client and his wife, son and parents) spanning three generations. The brief was concise: to create rooms that were multi-functional and incorporate ample storage in the compact space available.

“A good, timeless design for us is the honest expression of playing with offered geometry to suit the exact required function in order to achieve utmost usability and aesthetics,” says Anand. That this particular home is a precise expression of this philosophy is evident from its layout and optional use of furniture units across the space. The material palette is predominantly natural with wood, copper and lime-plastered walls. Vitrified tiles have been laid throughout the house save for a distinguished wooden floor in the master bedroom. The cabinetry is suitably designed from teak with matching veneer polished to enhance the natural grains. “We decided to take the client's affinity for wood and use it as a basic layer of finish in each space,” adds Chetan.