A 3,200-sq. ft. Surat Home Tames Brutalism With Wood And Light

Material Minimalism

Honest materiality and a minimalist ethos guided by durability reigns in the penthouse at large. A subdued trio of grey marble flooring, teak veneer walls, and lime-plaster ceilings anchors the space. This soft, cohesive, almost restrained base forms a neutral, calming backdrop to the designers’ intentional accents like stained birch ply, Invictus marble, red concrete textures and stainless steel introduced sparingly to highlight geometric compositions and bespoke detailing across the residence. 

While grey marble flooring lends a cooling and grounding effect and matte grey plaster ceilings envelope the home like a quiet hug, teak veneer wall panels lend a warm, tactile feel aside from serving a specific function. “Concealing the doors with seamless precision—enhanced by custom stainless-steel handle joinery—the panelling becomes a cohesive architectural element that ties the entire home together,” says Gajjar, Principal Architect of the project. ‘Material minimalism,’ they say, is not expressed through limitation but through purposeful juxtaposition where every contrasting surface has a role in shaping the spatial narrative.

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Social Spaces

One enters the heart of the home, the interconnected living and dining areas, through a linear foyer. This spacious volume, intended for moments of togetherness, is unified by a stretch of teak panelling enhanced by custom stainless-steel handle joinery. “Because the palette included intermittent pops of colour and stark material contrasts, stainless steel emerged as a balancing medium. Its maintenance-friendly, malleable and inherently reflective nature allows it to introduce a sense of transparency—not through literal see-through surfaces, but through visual lightness, glow and spatial extension,” the designers explain, adding that the material served as a bridge for heavier opaque materials like birch ply, concrete textures and lime plaster. Custom furniture by H+A Studio, HM Furniture and Shiv Shakti Furniture like the dining table, stainless steel side tables and a solid wood coffee table, ground the room with a balanced material composition. Pops of terracotta red strategically punctuate the otherwise neutral space.

A handloom fabric screen—an artful partition designed in collaboration with textile artist Dori by Madhri—is woven with cotton, jute, camel wool, cane sticks, hay, hemp and wool. This free-form tapestry symbolises the nine individual lives woven into one shared narrative. “Intended as a light, looming presence, the piece functions both as a work of art and a subtle divider between the dining and living areas,” says Gajjar. 

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Sharing a wall with the foyer, the kitchen sits tucked away from immediate view. At the same time, once within the social spaces, it connects rather seamlessly with the dining and living zones. A layered material palette comprising stainless steel, stone flooring, terracotta surfaces, wood, glass and concrete, create visual depth and interest. A clear glass backsplash fixed directly onto a plastered wall remains all but invisible until viewed up close.

A Home With A Flow

Every one of the four bedrooms on the ground level are designed to maintain a sense of privacy. The grandparents’ room is accessed directly from the foyer for ease of movement, while the daughter’s room sits right behind the library nook. The son’s bedroom and the master are located at the far end of this passage. 

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The master bedroom connects to the courtyard via louvred windows that bring in natural light and breeze, while extending the natural flow of the home. It reveals the design’s continued dedication to minimal materiality with unobtrusive detailing, soft textures and clean veneers. Stainless steel details on the bed back and side tables infuse the simplicity of this room with a sense of modernity, while a red-stained birch plywood console by Shiv Shakti Furniture brings in a touch of colour.

A Quiet Canvas

The toddler daughter’s bedroom features a simple upholstered bed. A sense of softness, well-established throughout the home, flows into this room, too. A standout element is the birchwood wardrobe stained in tones of sea green, yellow and red. This delicately painted landscape by Artitude by Satyadip Varde features a subtle illustration of a small bird poised against the horizon that captures the joy of childhood wonder. Left unpainted, the birch ply honours its natural grain with staining solely used to merge the artwork and material into a unified expression that invokes both curiosity and reflection.

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The son’s bedroom quite literally bursts with personality, thanks to the infusion of playful pops of terracotta tones, deep blues and geometric patterns. A minimalist study table by HM Furniture is vibrantly backdropped by a dark green stained birch plywood wall. Flowing into a seating nook, it forms a seamless composition that maximises function within a compact footprint.

A set of stairs in the living room leads to the pent floor that houses an informal lounge room. The side table, pots and sofa were sourced from Shiv Dhara Furniture, while the light is from Smart Light. A library occupies a private nook on one side of the living room (not in the picture). Here, the interplay of materiality flows well into the library area with a change in flooring pattern composed of waste marble pieces. This thoughtful gesture minimises material consumption, falling well in line with the thoughtfully selected material palette across the home. 

Spanning 15 months, this home design stands as proof that multigenerational living need not be a compromise. Instead, its overarching ethos focussed on honest materiality prevails, tempering the home’s dynamism with meditative textures, moments of interest, and articulate details that appeal to every occupant.