ZEN HEIGHTS

Pooja Bihani, the founder of Spaces and Design, champions bespoke living in this Kolkata home through material diversity and maximising volume

- SNEHA SHAH

The entrance lobby, club house, and community hall of a residential building in Kolkata, already showcased the design sensibilities of Pooja Bihani, the founder and principal architect of Spaces and Design. So, when she was approached to design a home in the same building, for Ritika and Vivek Goyal and their two boys, it felt like familiar territory. “We are first-generation entrepreneurs and wanted the space to reflect our love for travel and our taste for finer things - embracing the luxury of space with asymmetrical, abstract, and organic elements,” expresses the young couple.

The design narrative of this 6,000 sq ft duplex apartment stands witness to the collaboration between the designer and homeowner, resulting in a space brimming with dramatic moments and statement design. The living room is an expansive double-height space that generously stretches to include a cascading 19-feet-high waterfall. Functioning as the beating heart of the home, this waterfall transforms the atmosphere as it flows over a staggered, stone-finish backdrop, infusing the space with a sense of fluid tranquillity.

“As the clients entertain a lot, they expressed a desire for striking design features on a substantial scale. We mutually agreed on this large waterfall in the middle of the home, which, in turn, inspired the home’s name, Fountainhead”, recalls Pooja.