Opposites attract

Pooja Bihani

Architect and Founder Spaces & Design, Kolkata www.spacesanddesign.com

Exquisiteness can be achieved through simple design. Located at Raichak on Ganges (near Kolkata) and serenaded by the breeze of the river, this property called the BMA Villa, is a beautiful example of what clever design can do.

Meant from be a vacation home, it provides the perfect respite to the normalcy of routine. The home can be best described as rustic chic. The beautifully crafted minimalistic clock over a marble base placed at the entrance is the first thing that greets you. The entire home tells a tale through its unique detailing as each space flows into the other.

Be it the life-sized horse in the living area or the shocking pink couch in the master bedroom, the signature pieces are the real attention stealers. Even the furnishings, most of which have been imported from outside the country, give a sense of sophistication and luxe. While these evoke a contemporary and sophisticated feel, the overall tone of the home is fairly rustic, owing to the presence of natural stone flooring, unfinished wall finishes and wooden ceilings.

The idea was to let rustic and modern come together to create a play of opposites. Another stand out feature is the way the interiors interact with the exteriors. The transparency between the outdoors and indoors ensures that each space breathes out into the open. The use of turf on the ceiling and on the internal steps in addition to other landscaping elements gives a unique character and a sense of tranquillity to the space.

The heart of the villa is undoubtedly the pool area. The pool has been placed in such a way that one can see it from any angle in the house. Further, the large sea shell mimicking seating by the pool side is hard to miss and makes for relaxed seating. This when teamed with the back-lit onyx bar counter and wooden log bar stools creates the perefect entertainment zone.

The 4,500 sq ft of interior space cleverly fuses differnt styles and genres. It is luxurious yet rustic, over-the-top yet simple, colour-heavy yet neutral. Giving this holiday home a unique character and flavour that is charming.