The term ‘Petrichor’ hints at the unique heady aroma that fills the air when the rains descend upon dry soils, quenching the land’s thirst. Paying homage to this phenomenon, the design firm has pieced together their studio space, which is doused in the essence of the earth — manifesting as a grounded material palette, unpretentious finishes, and an organic spatial narrative which are all design philosophies the studio emulates across their body of work.
An eco-friendly space headlined by natural materiality and an open floor plan were the cornerstones of the design brief that the studio implemented. The envelope of the built form was reimaged which resulted in the layering of the threshold at the elevation level. The exterior-most brick wall was lined towards the rear with a green corridor dotted with verdure and then a screen of breeze blocks posed as the final stratum which enclosed the studio’s volume within its embrace.
One enters the studio via a colossal 9-foot pivot door bathed in a rich Prussian blue shade which leads into the communal area. A series of lofty rectilinear windows line the wall adjacent to the entrance. A cane chain-link lighting installation designed by Sona sprawls across the ceiling along the axial corridor. Kota stone and terracotta roof tiles swathe the floors and ceilings respectively, iterating the omnipresent raw sense of texture. The walls witness blue kalai finishes and exposed brick, to introduce a sense of rooted juxtaposition.
A set of eight workstations and a community discussion zone anchor the designer’s bay, making it a charged space within the layout. Towards the rear, a pantry revels in lush views of the backyard and houses an 8-seater dining space. The conference room is integrated into the blueprint seamlessly as a metal and clear glass folding partition system lends it the required privacy and is ideal for client presentations with its views of the green corridor. The Architect’s cabin’s walls are saturated in a warm ochre oxide finish. The austere Kota floors are interspersed playfully with a dynamic matrix of yellow honeycomb tiles imbuing pattern-play in the space.
The bathrooms are flanked off a utility corridor and echo the overruling design grammar that presides over Petrichor. It is a coalition amidst grey granite and oxide finishes in the spectrum of greys, blues, and a dusty pink that tie in with the palette.