A chess feature on a wall?
In a tete-a-tete with Aanchal and Yogesh of Inner Space..
1. Please tell us about Inner Space and your story before we begin discussing the project.
“Necessity is the mother of all inventions” and birth of Inner Space happened because of this very reason. In 2007, I started looking to consult Interior designers/company to do my 3 BHK house. During my search I came across many designers – some whose work I liked a lot, were not so receptive to my needs and requirements and some who would listen were not able to give me what I wanted. This led me to a decision that I will do my house myself.
From working as a “technical marketing manager” to working as an “interior designer “ for my home was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed. Once I completed my home, I got an opportunity to do another home in the same complex. This encouraged me to study further and take this hobby a little bit more seriously.
Sitting in one of my classes, I came up with the idea of starting my own company under the name of “Inner Space”. From that day in May 2008, I have not looked back and have completed converting more than 125 houses into beautiful homes.
I truly feel that a home should be a reflection of ones inner self. So a home is a space where you are comfortable and close to your true self. Hence, “Inner Space”. We decided to take Inner Space to another level when my husband Yogesh joined my passion. Now we work together towards one objective – making beautiful homes.
Yogesh and myself have known each other from our BITS years and have been this strong team. Now we are using this strength of ours in making homes that are not only beautiful but also meets all functional and practical needs of the owners.
2. Please tell us about the project in brief, and the brief given to you before you started on the design.
The villa that was completed at Nambiar Bellezea is a 5 BHK duplex villa and belongs to Mr Pavan Kaipa and Mrs. Usha Kaipa. Our engagement started with them at a very early stage of construction. Changes were suggested from that time onwards to meet their needs.
Usha and Pavan are very simple and nice people. Their home had to reflect that simplicity, niceness with the same amount of elegance and class that they have. They wanted their home to have the warmth, aesthetically appealing spaces where things are not over done and also meet their functional and practical needs. In a nutshell this kind of gelled well with our philosophy of design.
During the design brief we used few of their basic needs as a starting point and worked from there on. Their mother uses a wheel chair and needed enough space on the ground floor to move around. She had to have an easy access to areas like kitchen, her wardrobe, family space, main entrance and puja. This was something that had to be kept in mind while designing, selecting materials and finally finishing the house.
Their son’s room had to cater to huge number of books, storage, work area etc. without looking very heavy. Master bedroom had to have a style that’s classy, not cluttered and subtle. The home office had to be done in such a way that Pavan can enjoy the beautiful view on the balcony side, and share the space if needed with Usha or their some son. The entertainment space had to have a slightly more modern look and feel and accommodate a comfortable leather sofa. Details like these, helped us come up with the designs and the final product.
3. All your projects have Buddha incorporated in different ways. What draws you to Buddha?
It’s funny how “Buddha” has become part of most of the homes that we have made. I am drawn towards Buddha statues/painting where the face seems to reflect peace and clam. I initially started collecting some for my own home and then extended this to the homes we made by gifting it to the owners. Without realizing it just became part of our work. May be in future something else will come up ;-)
4.The tile inserts in the subway tiles in the kitchen are quirky and interesting. It adds a pop of color to the otherwise modern kitchen. Your thoughts on adding this and where are these from?
Although they wanted a very modern kitchen, they found the colored shutters a little too bright for their taste. So we decided to keep the shutters neutral but at the same time bring in some brightness with the use of multi-colored tiles. This also helps in bridging the open kitchen with the other elements coming in that space. Fortunately, now Bangalore has some good places where there are plenty of choices to experiment and play with.
5. Tell us more about the peacock mural. What is it made of?
Peacock mural was born out of a very strong need. It was planned there to take away attention from the dark staircase corner that you face as you enter the house. So this corner was utilized by providing storage at the back (accessible from the side) and the fascia was decorated with this mural. The mural has been customized to fit that space and is made out of wood, metal and glass. Depending on the requirement we work with many talented artists to create something unique.
6. If you were to, would you have added a swing to this home. If so, where?
Requirement of a swing is very specific. In case there was a requirement of the swing then may be I would have added it in the dining/kitchen space facing the balcony.
7. How long does a project like this take to complete from design to handover?
For a project like this we can be engaged at an early stage of construction, where our role will be to look at the floor plans and suggest small civil and electrical changes that can make the space more suitable to the design and functional requirements. In that case we will be engaged through the construction of the project.
In case we are engaged post construction or in later stages of construction then our design cycle would be approximately 10-12 weeks and the execution of the project will take 5-6 months. Of course the timelines would depend on the scope of work & the extent to which one wants to do up the place.
8. Do you also undertake design for a room, furniture, and renovation projects?
Most of the work that we have done so far has involved end-to-end interiors. But, we do take up “only design” projects, renovation projects and part-house projects as well. It will completely depend on the work involved and resources available at that time. Our work is more focused towards residential spaces.
Finally, this is what Usha and Pavan have to say about their experience with Inner Space:
We chose Inner Space team to design our interiors and the duo Aanchal and Yogesh has done a splendid job in realising our dream home. Aanchal is very innovative and comes up with original ideas based on our requirements and tastes. She is very involved and never compromises till she gets what she is looking for. Yogesh’s execution is flawless. He is quite approachable and handles issues at site with ease. They work with very skilled teams and they have commendable work ethics. Take this opportunity to whole-heartedly thank them for their dedication and efforts in shaping up our new home exactly to our interest.
Thank you Aanchal for taking us through your journey into the world of interior designing. Wishing you all the best to design many more beautiful homes in the future.
Image Courtesy: Inner Space
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