A Modern Penthouse Dares to Bare Exposed Concrete Walls

Stone-crete plastered surfaces.  Brick cladding. Cement flooring. Solid wood. Open spaces. No tiles. This penthouse belongs to Amit Sanghvi, an industrialist, who returned after spending several years in the US. He wanted his home to mimic the rawness and openness of the exposed industrial design that he took a liking to from his years of living in New York.

Harsh Boghani of The Crossboundaries gave shape to Amit’s vision by transforming this concrete shell (literally) into a beautiful industrial apartment dressed in natural materials.

Personally, for me, it was amazing to see this less-traveled path of appreciating raw concrete. The design is clean, clutter-free with a relaxed vibe, deceptively simple, and high on aesthetics.

About the project:

Who lives here: a couple, child and a dog
Location: Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Year built: 2017
Size: 3,200 sq.ft
Type: apartment (penthouse) with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms
Designed by: The Crossboundaries

The penthouse is located on the 11th of an apartment complex.  It’s an open layout apartment with the bedrooms on the two extreme ends and the common areas such as living, dining, and kitchen in the centre. The idea was to position the pool  to the outdoors and have the deck beside it with a majestic view of the city’s skyline.

Harsh says:

There were no modifications done in the structure. We had taken a bare site and tried to retain the position of ducts and toilets considering the service part into consideration.”

Living Room

The apartment opens up to a foyer in the middle of the apartment  with the living room, parents and kids bedrooms on the left. The kitchen and master bedroom are to the right while the pool is at the far end facing the outdoors.

A free standing display unit greets you at the foyer which acts as a partition between the living and kitchen as well as display shelves. The exposed ceiling with 10’6” floor height magnifies the open space.

Exposed concrete has a character to it; it is timeless and yet gives the space unparalleled sophistication.

A few splashes of other colors also creep into the design in the form of Pale avocado Lounge chair and large sized checkered Rug in the shades of green is spread across on the concrete floor.

Kitchen + Dining

It’s an open plan kitchen with the main cooking counter running along on one side with white cabinets. Exposed red brickwork forms the background. The counter top is made of wood. Smart appliances are fitted onto a tall cabinet on the adjoining side. There is also a contrasting white island counter is positioned in front.

The kitchen opens up to the dining area along with the  outdoor lounge / bar space. The dining space consists of an elegant wooden table along with multi colored chairs and contemporary white metal hanging lights over it.

Lounge + Bar + Pool

The dining further opens out to the lounge and bar area overlooking the city. The lounge has a low sitting sofa with an adjacent bar unit suspended from the ceiling. The bar is designed in a way that in day time it can be used as an outdoor breakfast area with a view.

The swimming pool was specifically designed for the pet and an explicit ledge was planned considering the proportions of the dog such that he can sunbathe in the pool. A sculpture is strategically positioned to merge the aqua blue of the water and the cobalt blue of the sky serves as a transition element from the pool to the sky. The gradations of the blue naturally transcend the viewer’s vista from the pool to the sculpture to the sky, forming a complete frame.

Bedrooms + Bath

The masculine master suite flaunts a wooden king size bed in the center. Set against a leather headboard, it is backed by a wooden louvered wall paneling and mirrors. It also opens out to the attached bathroom which consists of a an elaborate walk-in closet for the couple, a bathtub and an elegant counter which is cast in concrete with his and her basin layered on the top.

Harsh concludes by saying, “the minimalist use of basic materials was what we loved for the project. We used wood, brick and concrete and exploited those three materials in its total form. We integrated all these elements in a language that uplifts the natural quality of each material, giving the residence a natural and earthy feel.

The challenge was to retain the services of the multi-story building without changing the function of the space since all the services were passing through the same junction.”

Product Sources

Lights: Ikea, Sweden & customized exposed piping system.

Paints: No Paint has been used except base white in the whole house. The walls and ceiling are stone-crete plastered.

Furnishings: D’décor & Local craft shops in Jodhpur

Sofas: Ikea, Sweden

Dining table: Ikea, Sweden

Flooring tiles: No Tiles has been used except the glass mosaic tiles in the swimming pool. Concrete IPS Floor has been used in the full house

Flooring: Concrete Floor

Walls: Exposed Brickwork cladding

Textures: Natural tones of wood

Electrical system: Exposed GI pipe system customized for site

A food for thought: when was the last time you saw a house that did not use tiles anywhere on the house or exposed its electrical work. Ready to scroll up for another look?

Image courtesy: Sebastian Zachariah & Ira Gosalia ( Photographix)