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THE HOMES THE PATHAKS BUILT -- INSIDE OUTSIDE ( May 2004 )

Delhi-based architect Pradeep Pathak and his designer wife, Anshu, show their forte for the drama of colour, craftworks and light, in the home they designed for Anshu's parents, and in their own home.

Small is beautiful
A modern house with old-fashioned warmth, --the Pathak’s design for a home for Anshu’s parents is a modest space with a big heart.

When building a house for Anshu’s parents, Anshu and Pradeep Pathak were very clear about what they wanted. Through the budget was not too large, they wanted a design that was both aesthetic and also fulfilled her parents’ needs.

The solutions was a split level plan, for as Pradeep observes. ‘Vertically is fast becoming a characteristic of urban living, where if one dimension of the building is restricted the other can often be optimised.’ Adds Anshu, ‘A house, like a person should look elegant and stylish and outlive superficial décor and fashions. And this does not mean spending large sums of money. You need to pick up the right elements and emphasise them.’

One inherent advantage was the freedom to experiment, as the clients were Anshu’s own parents. ‘As far as the external aspect is concerned, the façade belies the reality because of the way the windows are configured,’ says Pradeep. Walking past a fairly large space where the grandchildren skate or play football and basketball, one walks up a flight of stairs to a landing, a neat dining area, and then a few steps up is the living space, done in shades of green, olive, moss and sienna, with a lime green wall, ‘I chose this particular color for the prominent wall and then added gold metallic powder in color-wash medium, to add a sense of drama,’ says Anshu.

At the far end, a couple of steps lead down to a charming verandah with bright cushions, potted plants and a curvaceous built-in garden seat, just right for morning tea or a siesta. ‘I like to think of a room as a painting – varied elements together make a fine composition,’ says Anshu. She chose a warm, colorful palette for this home, as she believes bright colors create harmony. So the entrance is in orange, the dinning area in blue, and a happy yellow in the guest bedroom, which overlooks the green stretch at the back of the house.
‘The open plan for the living areas forms the focus of the design for this house’ says Pradeep.

The levels are interconnected with short flights of stairs, which have been kept deliberately narrow to enhance the feeling of space. ‘There is a definite psychological approach to the design. I wanted to create the experience one has, when, after having driven through a narrow lane one makes a sudden entry into a broad highway.’ Contrasts in volumetric area abound; while the kitchen, dining and guest rooms have a seven-foot-high ceiling, the living room ceiling is 13 feet high. The master bedroom looks down into the living room through a window that aids ventilation and lends connectivity. The adjoining bathroom and dressing room are also on two levels.
There is a strong architectural reference repeated throughout the apartment. The house is divided vertically into two identical spaces – one of which is now an office for their three-year-old architectural firm.

A short flight of stars up from the main bedroom is a sunny verandah and bedroom used by Anshu’s brother and wife when they visit. This room opens onto a terrace with a superb view of the hills and the ruins of the Delhi Sultanate. With a profusion of lush greenery and pretty terracotta images, this is the perfect place to while away a winter afternoon just lazing or relaxing.
‘Attention to detail is the vital ingredient that lifts a space out of the ordinary and makes it exciting,’ says Pradeep, while Anshu believes that through humble materials may have imperfections, they often lend a special warmth. ‘Our philosophy of design places as much importance on unpretentious cottons and calicos as on fine velvet and silks!’

a celebration of color

Pradeep and Anshu Pathak’s own home in Delhi draws on the intense, jewel-like hues of India to create a vibrant, welcoming environment.

When Pradeep and Anshu Pathak set about designing their home, which they have called ‘Soubhagya’, their ideas was to create a wholly Indian ambience but with modern amenities to make it relevant to contemporary living. Sunlight filters in from two courtyards and the space is awash with bright colors – blue, saffron, cherry, red, many shades of green. ‘We wanted a lot of fresh air and a feeling of openness in the house so we hit upon the idea of an open floor plan, following the tenets of Vaastu,’ says Pradeep. There are no doors to the rooms except the bedrooms, and the house is filled with natural light throughout the day. The two courtyards on either side of the bedrooms augment the feeling of being out in the open, surrounded by greenery.

Anshu’s creativity and penchant for bright colors is evident throughout the house, which is filled with folk art and craft as well her own creations in the form of painted panels, wall murals, terracotta urns and glass lamps. Even the sheer curtains and silk cushions are hand embroidered. A six-foot-long mural in colored mirrors depicting Krishna playing the flute, done by Anshu, provides a fine backdrop for the seating area in the living room, which is at a lower level.

The marble centre table holds a metal chessboard from Athens. ‘We have deliberately kept the basic color scheme in shades of white’ says Anshu, ‘to offset the other colors and all the artwork.’

The vivid blue sofas are embellished with rich silk cushions in bright hues. Tall bookcases hold a variety of books on art, philosophy, travel, religion and architecture. Throughout the house one can find artifacts picked up from all over the world; ‘In fact everything holds a memory of some place we’ve traveled to.’ The dining area overlooks one of the lush green courtyards and here too, the feeling of openness is heightened by the wrought-iron dinning table. One wall in the master bedroom has been painted midnight blue, with motifs of shining silver starts. The children’s bedroom is again a study in colour with a rainbow on one wall painted by Anshu and her children Akshar and Praachi. Ferrari fan Akshar’s domain is filled with huge collages of racing cars, some of which he has made himself, while Praachi’s area is full of Barbie dolls.
This is not an ostentatious home, but a carefully thought out and planned one. Each member of the family has made a contribution to the space in their own way, adding to its charm. ‘Designing our home has been a labour of love for us,’ say Pradeep and Anshu, ‘and we are delighted with it.’