Art and architecture help bridge the gap between three generations at a Delhi home by Untitled Design

Designing a home for three generations underneath one roof is no easy feat. We live in an era of diminishing community spaces and shoebox apartments. It is a rare privilege to live down the block from your extended family — let alone live with them underneath the same roof.

In marked defiance of apartment culture, three generations of a family sought the help of Joya Nandurdikar and Amrita Guha, founding partners at Untitled Design, to turn their shared roof into a warm home in Delhi.

Rather than subscribing to the (older) majority, the outcome is an 11,000 sq ft home equal parts contemporary and true to India’s heritage. A balancing act achieved through a skilful combination of scale, material, art and craft galore.

Democratising the design process

With multiple stakeholders involved, it was essential to democratise the design process. A clear demarcation of the five-storey structure emerged as the first step to ensure each family had their own personal space.

Home to a set of grandparents, two brothers and their respective families, each member had a say in bringing it to life. No two spaces look the same — each spotlights a unique mix of materials and aesthetics.

And yet, the home cannot resist its shared love of Indian craft from peeking through. The walls are dotted with Kalighat paintings and Gondh artwork, the foyer ceiling inspired by Kalamkari. Exposed concrete and wood panels act as a new canvas against the old. As the designers affirm, “Here, art is not an afterthought, but a protagonist playing an integral role in the holistic experience.” Both Gen-Z and boomers would approve!

Mi casa es su casa

The foyer sets the stage for a grand show-off. A concrete staircase, dramatically illuminated by the overhead skylight, rests in the heart of the home. Its bare-shell surface displays Devanagari script artwork by Remen Chopra W. Van Der Vaart. Overhead, a Kalamkari ceiling devised by an NGO named ‘Dwaraka’ led by Anita Reddy plays foil to the concrete’s raw brutalism, a nod to the homeowner’s affinity for Indian craftsmanship.

The home splits off into diverse directions as one steps within. An entertainment lounge rests in the basement, while the stilt level is home to a secluded home office.

The family’s private bedrooms rest unbothered on the first and second floors. Here, individual bursts of colour take on a bigger role in the design narrative, only to take a step back as one reaches the family lounge. Stone-printed veneers flank Gondh artwork, and storage shelves are cleverly incorporated into the space. A paduka (holy footprints) wall installation and an elaborate Puja room nod to the home’s reverence for Indian heritage practices.

The immaculately landscaped garden peeks through the windows, driving home the message of harmony — even in how the indoor-outdoor spaces position themselves hand-in-hand.

A bonding exercise by design

Reaching a unified consensus in a joint family is a herculean task. Representative of the divisive tastes under one roof, an array of materials exist in unity within the home. Mata Ni Pachedi, Phad and Kalighat paintings decorate the bare walls. Flanking them are origami lights atop the dining table, contemporary lighting fixtures galore and modern installations aplenty.

A generation gap may separate the art forms and residents alike, but they are brought together by a collective love for either. It is a material manifestation of what can only be described as a bonding exercise between design aesthetics.

Nuclear family homes are strangers to the joys of living in a joint family. To have the pleasure of walking down a flight of steps, meeting family members you’d otherwise speak to once every three months. The home, building on this rare privilege, utilises design as a tool to foster belongingness. It becomes a metaphor for healthy, fulfilling relationships — where nothing exists in a vacuum, where individual needs are met and where everybody’s cup is full.

Read more: Parisian design meets modern grandeur in a Delhi home by Aashi Gupta Designs