A LENGTHY AFFAIR gAURAV ROY CHOUDHURY sAYs IT WITH LINES

MY SPACE : ARJUN MALIK
RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COM
MUSELAB UNCOVERED
DESIGN DESTINATION : stockholm
vol 13 issue 7
JULY 2014
total pages 156
gAURAV ROY CHOUDHURY
sAYs IT WITH LINES
EXPECT THE unexpected
FROM AVA DESIGN STUDIO
A LENGTHY
AFFAIR
KHOSLA ASSOCIATES’ EXCITING DIALOGUE WITH LINEARITY
ISALONI: THE LATEST TRENDS FROM FURNITURE & BATHROOMS TO KITCHEN SOLUTIONS & MORE
Mumbai-based MuseLAB is an ambitious
but level-headed firm that is slowly
building up a portfolio of elegant projects.
Architects Huzefa Rangwala and Jasem
Pirani bonded over a common love for
food, travel and design to form MuseLAB
in 2012. Since then, the young team has
been gradually building up a work ethic
founded on an aesthetic of elegance and
attention to detail.
MuseLAB’s flourish is in the not-so-obvious
details of a project. When presented with
a simple plan, the team has the gumption
to go simple, while always being attached
to a philosophy of adding interesting,
slightly impish accents to the scheme, just
to make sure nothing ever gets boring.
The bedrock of the MuseLAB team’s
understanding of beauty is restraint.
Clutter will be hard to come by in their
designs, instead there will be neutral
colours awash with sunlight and breathy
spaces that just happen to have some
essential furniture in them. For this young
firm, everything synthetic is an accessory
to enhancing the naturally beautiful.
148 Home Review July 2014
This resplendent apartment at Khar is
a classic MuseLAB specimen – spare
and serene, but spotted with delightful
surprises. The credit of this project’s
implementation lies not in its blatant
flourish, but in its calm aesthetic.
The clients wanted a simple and
straightforward house, and the design
team decided to follow this by the letter.
The two bedroom flat was to stand
in the midst of abundant sunlight, so
MuseLAB hatched up a smart plan;
they installed screens with dramatic
geometric patterns to make the light
slit and slide in. Such a screen stands
at the entranceway to the house, while
another blocks the bedrooms and the
puja room from behind the bar.
Aiding these effects is a window grill
fitted with patterns resembling distant
birds in the sky. These elements team up
with the tastefully subdued ochre and grey
tones of the house and unleash a constant
‘play’ of light, shade and patterns, on
the floor, walls and the curtains. Not to
mention, they also bring in an overall
sense of impetuousness that will break any
possible monotony for the four residents
of the home.
Text By Shruti Nambiar
Photographs Courtesy Sameer Tawde
and MuseLAB
Home Review July 2014
149
To identify MuseLAB’s leitmotif, look for
tasteful geometric patterns, sometimes in
unexpected places; a romantic exploration
of natural light; and one common design
detail that will be peppered around the
space. The living room furniture here has a
distinct thick braiding pattern that makes
it look sturdy and long-lasting.
The light curtains are breezy, and the
colour scheme is populated by red,
grey, and ivory, with surprises of lively
blue. The shiny surfaces ensure generous
sweeps and spots of light all around.
While basking in the overall aura,
don’t miss the lamps that look like
they were made of crumpled paper,
and the brilliant blue chaise lounge
against a silken patterned curtain
background. MuseLAB has succeeded
in designing a home that is both warm
and welcoming for kids, and of a bespoke
feel for the adults.
150 Home Review July 2014
With this project, MuseLAB wants to
turn the definition of social housing
design on its head.
First Social is still in the proposal stage,
but its ambition is to be a 40-acre,
valley-facing example of a sensitivelyplanned living area for three segments of
a population - EWS (economically weaker
section), LIG (lower income group), and
LMIG (lower-middle income group).
The construction area ratio here will be
of 1:2:4, and the plan includes a primary
health centre and school; a green court;
a shopping complex; a pre-existing nallah
that will be revived to form a canal with
its own street walk; a park; and more.
“The idea is that a social housing project
doesn’t have to look bad. The plan is to
make it more live-able and more social,
where life is also much better,” says Pirani.
www.muselab.in
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