Saurin Shah is a stickler for perfection. “He is rather particular,” concedes his wife, Jimi, who was witness to said perfectionism, for better or worse, during the making of the couple’s first apartment in Bengaluru in Whitefield. The brief was simple. What wasn't was the expectation, which, as Jimi tells it, specified “a simple, minimalist, and highly accessible design with all sorts of storage, from small cubbies for paper bags to big compartments for suitcases. All in minimum occupied space, mind you. In Saurin’s mind, it was possible, but not probable, so when the couple collaborated with interior designers Kanya Samay and Asmita Sinha of Bengaluru-based Kinaaya Studio, they were expecting an agreement with compromise. “We were shocked when Kanya presented her design; it was so good that we asked if she was pranking us,” Jimi recalls with a laugh.
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Japandi Chic
The aesthetic they had in mind had a name: Japandi, although as Samay explains, the distinction was a matter of semantics. “They were keen on a Japandi-style home, but they were also open to surprises,” says the designer. The studio's portfolio at the time contained a smorgasbord of eclectic styles—none Japandi. “But there was an instant synergy,” continues Samay, “and they happened to like some of our previous work.” What the couple also liked was the element of functionality that evidently underscored the studio’s projects, especially Saurin, who worked together with Samay to oversee the finishes and details, specifying a top-drawer contractor (with whose work he was acquainted) and paying no heed to the consequently protracted timelines.
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Minimum Maximum
Samay and Sinha may have minimised the colour, but they didn’t eliminate it entirely. “We were open to bringing in some colour here and there,” says Sinha, who decided with Samay that that colour would be green. And so, the pair went sage supernova, enlivening the shade across one powder room wall, on the undulating foyer ceiling, and as upholstery in the living room, not to mention through the pocket gardens that underpin the windows.
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As for the rest of the palette for this apartment in Bengaluru, they chose to hush most everything, opting for an oakwood base, pristine white walls, wicker furniture, and monochrome metal accents. Surely, for a project as minimal as this, the timeline was equally so? “One might think so, but it was quite the opposite,” reveals Samay. “The biggest challenge was the timeline. Once we wrapped the design and began execution, it took us nearly six months to complete,” she recalls, admitting that the longer than usual timeline, unorthodox for such a project, gave her and Sinha the jitters. Saurin and Jimi, meanwhile, were unstintingly immune to such angst, resolute that the extra time would ensure extra attention to detail. As it turned out, the wait paid off (the fact that the couple welcomed their son into the world during that period is proof enough). “Slow made way for slow,” says Jimi. “And it also made way for calm. Colourful birds. Fluffy clouds. Dense trees. Around here, we're always in good company.”