GOWRI ADAPPA

CRAFTS A HOME TUCKED AWAY IN A LEAFY CORNER, OFF CHENNAI'S BUSTLING STERLING ROAD, FOR AMBIKA GUPTA, A WEDDING PLANNER AND PRODUCTION DESIGNER.

- AKHILA KRISHNAMURTHY

TOGETHER, THE TWO LADIES TRAVEL AND SOURCE ART AND ARTEFACTS FROM PUDUCHERRY TO JAIPUR, WEAVING IN NOSTALGIC CHILDHOOD HOME FEATURES LIKE SUNKEN PITS AND BLACK OXIDE FLOORS. HERE IS THE COMBINED VISION OF TWO CREATIVELY INSPIRED WOMEN.

“Every morning,” says Chennai-based Ambika Gupta, “when I walk out of my room with a cup of coffee in hand and step into the living room, I look around, breathe in and it's a pinch-me moment. I can't not be grateful for this home—my first.” Founder of The A-Cube Project, a bespoke wedding company with clients from across India and the world, Gupta lives here with her 11-year-old daughter, Shanyraa, and her Jack Russell Terrier, Milo. “While I was growing up, my mother would tell me that making a home of your own is a monumental project. I know what she meant now,” she adds.

Similarly, for Chennai-based architect, designer and cofounder of A Design Co Gowri Adappa, too, this three-year-long project has been a labour of love. It combines three unusual apartments, that find expression across four levels in an old apartment complex tucked quietly off Chennai's bustling Sterling Road, into a single large home. It reflects the collaborative vision of two creatively inspired women—Gupta envisages dreamy weddings and Adappa crafts homes. That craftsmanship needed to be at the heart of this home was a shared belief and its manifestation was slow, thoughtful and serendipitous.