“Your home should tell the story of what you are and be a collection of what you have”.
This 1-BHK apartment in Surat is a living example of this. The compact, functional and no-frills home with subtle hints of the Tamizh culture has been designed by Grishma Desai of Align Design Studio for Mr. Rammnaath’s parents.
He wanted his elderly parents, in their mid-70s now, to be closer to him and this house is a result of that.
About the project
Who lives here: a retired elderly Tamil couple in their mid-70s who relocated from Chennai
Location: Bhatar , Surat , Gujarat
Year built: 2017
Size: 800 sq.ft
Type: 1 BHK apartment
Designed by: Ar, Grishma Siddharth Desai of Align Design Studio
Photograph courtesy for the images: Ar. Dipen Tandel
Art work & hand painted door work : Rogan by Ar. Vaibhavi Shah
The apartment i s located in Bhatar, a busy neighbourhood of Surat. The main door directly opens up into the living room. There is no foyer. The commendable part of this small apartment is that it has a balcony. To the right is a small passage with bedroom on its left, bathroom on the right and kitchen with a utility straight ahead.
Relocating to a different city in your late retirement years, even if your immediate family is in close proximity to you, can be a daunting task. Mr. Rammnaath’s facilitated the relocation of his parents – father, a retired government employee, and mother, a homemaker -from Chennai to Surat with this tastefully decorated apartment.
It requires a different mindset to leave behind your familial surroundings; the grocery store you’ve shopped at for years, the familiar face of the lady who brings pooja flowers to your home every morning, the prompt milkman, the annoying vegetable lady who insists you buy vegetables even when you tell her you have everything today (with loving righteousness that you stop minding anymore), the forgetful iron man who forgets to come and pick up clothes no matter how many times you remind, waking up to the soothing music of MS’ Suprabhatham from a temple nearby, or comparing your kolams with others in the street in Margazhi — that’s an ecosystem you’ve built for yourself for years. A void that can never be filled when you leave the city. Only memories remain.
Why am I saying this? Because in this case, in stead of an impersonal 1 -BHK, there has been an earnest effort, to imbibe a few traditional elements in decor (if not in reality) that are symbolic and an inherent part of a family’s life from Chennai.
Like the banana leaf name plate on the door, the blue screen with sikku kolam or the easy chair in the living room.
Not a flamboyant or luxurious apartment but one that tugs at the heartstrings for the thought behind it.
Product Sources
Lights: Decorative lights – Sunshine Enterprise , Surat
Paints: Asian paint
Furnishings: Blue Orange by Leena Shah , Surat
Sofas & dining: bought from one person who has a very nice collection of an antique and traditional things. (credit – Client himself)
Flooring tiles: Action Tesa from Telesia , Surat
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