Homes that speak a visual language inspired by the vastness of India’s art and craft repertoire are always pleasing to the eye.
Project Madras Gatsby
At Project Madras Gatsby, Indian craftsmanship was never treated as an applied layer of decoration; it was part of the design conversation from the very beginning. The aim was to reinterpret traditional crafts in a way that felt relevant and became an integral part of how the home functions and feels, where every handcrafted element had both purpose and presence. “The pivoting partition between the living and dining spaces is a good example.Crafted with woven bamboo and brass detailing, it isn’t just a visual feature; it shapes movement, creates flexibility and becomes part of the family’s everyday life. Across the home, handcrafted joinery, brass detailing and bespoke furniture are all built into the architecture rather than layered onto it, allowing craftsmanship to influence proportion, texture and experience instead of being introduced at the final styling stage,” says Divya Khullar, 1405 Design Studio.
Madras Gatsby doesn’t celebrate one craft tradition; it celebrates the richness of Indian making through a series of bespoke interventions. The kitchen island draws inspiration from the playful geometry of Channapatna craftsmanship, while the custom alabaster light installation in the dry kitchen explores the natural translucency of hand-worked stone. Around the living room’s mirrored column, suspended Makrana marble lights create a sculptural focal point, while handcrafted black-and-white plaster lamps, carefully curated rugs, bespoke veneer inlay, brass detailing, terrazzo surfaces and custom furniture were all developed in close collaboration with skilled artisans and local fabricators.
Noida Art House
The brief from the client for the Noida Art House was to design a façade that withstands time and ageing and something that feels inviting and personal to them – a retreat for themselves and a treat to the eyes. “The answer to this brief was very simple for us: to go back to the traditional and local materials which are unmistakably Indian. We chose to work with brick, kadappa, granite and metal. With this palette, we wanted to make sure that the design does not look too ethnic, and we started exploring the options of how to play with the brick in a contemporary form,” says Aashna Chaudhry, EDC Spaces.
Even the door, though in brass, was consciously kept simple to offset well against the details of the brick on the façade. In the central courtyard, the traditional Pichwai is the showstopper, offsetting the contemporary black and white flooring pattern, a play of modern vs traditional in pattern and colour palettes.
Read the full story that first appeared in The Stylist Art Edit here:
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