MuseLAB - A personal journey through Ahmedabad's most enchanting family home: The Nest

Our clients, Ekta and Dhruv’s love for their daughters, Rianna and Zoya is incomparable. It’s as if they've got a "Parental Love" button stuck on high volume permanently.

This love is the genesis of the home which was the ultimate roller coaster ride of mad hustle, few heartaches, and lots of hugs starting Feb 2021 all the way to Dec 2023. From rewriting the process script to forging friendships that'll outlast any deadline to bribing a round of drinks for design approvals, this project saw it all!

The three storeyed home is a 6500sft family abode within a tight knit gated community in Thaltej, Ahmedabad.

The entrance foyer on the ground floor is a playground of personalised art courtesy Ujjval Noya, peppy patterns in Kota served two ways, our favourite Roly Poly chairs by Driade, a trio of lights from Mother Gone Mad, a bone inlay chest of drawers and a customised totem by Harshita Jhamtani.

The bench on the outside borrows its palette from the pool tiles and the entrance door is designed to have a voice of it’s own with cnc-milled contemporary motifs stained in a dark walnut finish.

The staircase leading to the upper floors has a wooden handrail that rests on fabricated balustrades that have a concealed light fixture within them to light up every third tread. We’ve added a fun detail with the almost Tetris like kota skirting alongside the steps, specially around the opening on the second flight that peeks into the foyer below.

The pacific blue wall of the galleria houses another piece de résistance by Prityanshi, who created a lenticular art of hills and beaches for our outdoorsy clients; her art is housed in a bespoke frame that was carpentered on site. A patterned runner by Cocoon rugs fills the floor of the galleria with a splash of colour.

The pool and poolside deck are accessed from the galleria. For the design of the pool, we took cues from the Koi Pond art that was created by Ekta-Dhruv’s elder daughter Rianna a few years ago. Since their lives revolve around their daughters and the home is planted with their memories of growing up, we thought what better way to celebrate this bond than to have Rianna’s art on the floor of the pool which also happens to be the heart of the home!

The living room, dining area and dry kitchen are a part of one large happy contiguous space. Designed for intimate lunches and large family gatherings, the space has a very very distinctive aesthetic with a form finished concrete ceiling, a polished kota floor and comfortable furniture in deep greens, greys, teaks and blush. A Cocoon rug holds the furniture in the living room together. And for someone who loves to cook and entertain, there could not have been a more fitting kitchen in the front of house. We got the wiring to the chimney to loop in with the blush conical lights. A mammoth 7 footer of a dining table with a lazy suzan and incredible inlay details is made by The Klein Bottle.

The powder bath is a monolithic masterpiece that almost seems to be carved out of blocks of a very fossilized marble. With a stepped vanity that strategically houses both drawers and plumbing services, it acts as that one little surprise pocket of the home.

The dayroom is a symphony of sectional experiences with a pool abutting one window and a raised garden against the study table window. It transforms into a home office for Dhruv, a study room for Rianna and Zoya, an escape room for Ekta for when she can sneak in a siesta and an en-suite bedroom for the elderly guests. You can also choose to jump into the pool from here, should you want to. The study table provides nesting places for pens and other stationary. Clad in granite for easy maintenance, it cascades to form the window seat.

The first floor comprises of the master bedroom, the daughters bedroom, a guest room and the lounge with a step out terrace. Both the master bedroom and the lounge overlook the pool courtyard.

The daughters bedroom underwent a radical design evolution over three years, mirroring their growth and wisdom. The showstopper is definitely the wall behind the bed, boasting a wallpaper of a watercolor painting that appears to be straight from the girls’ art book. Reflecting this masterpiece is a full-length mirror adorning the dresser, snugly nestled within a peg board dedicated to showcasing their art and treasures. The room is a birch wood paradise with twin study desk, the staircase leading to the art loft and the reading nook in Birchply tile voussoirs on the arch - all existing in harmony.

The lounge is by far our most favourite room in the Nest. It was also the most evolved space of the home design wise.The floor went from being a mosaic rug in penny tiles to this leather finished kadappa with geometric shapes. The large unit in the back was a deep ink blue and we finally settled in on a minty green with reverse scalloped shutters. The ceiling wood, the furniture, the lights above the bar, the art behind the sofa - everything was put together progressively with the only constant being the bar unit.

The faceted geometry of the master bedroom ceiling clad in slats of pine wood contrasts beautifully with the leather finished checkered kota stone which is laid on the hallway floor and leads into the master en-suite. The bedroom further extends into a corner nook (a sun room) which also doubles up as Dhruv’s home office and is separated by a shaped sliding door that houses a bespoke fabric art by Abstrac Home.

All in all, the home is not defined by a certain characteristic or a style or an ism of architecture. It is unique to the home owners, it has it’s own personality and it is a design language that is honest, unique and characterised by art and details that bring a smile to one’s face.