Cedar and pine recast in Pune

The Arch Studio designs a home echoing Dehradun’s forests, carrying the imprint of its owners’ roots

14 Jan 2026

Where pine forests and the imagined scent of cedar seem to linger in the air, an echo of the owners’ Dehradun past unfurls in the bylanes of Pune. Designed by The Arch Studio, this 1,600 sq ft home is composed as much of light and air as it is of memory. It chooses calmness over clutter and is grounded in an earthen aesthetic. Home to a family of avid readers, the living space centres around a generous bookshelf. Aptly named Cedar Cane, its interiors draw from memory and nature, evoking the stillness of the Himalayan foothills where time and thoughts are both unhurried. Cane, warm timber tones and fluted wood furniture repeat through the home, layered with dark veneers and terrazzo quartz to create a restorative sense of peace.

"The most challenging part was balancing minimalism with the family’s need for practical storage, especially with two young children"

- Siddhina Sakla, founder of The Arch Studio

Bathed in beige

A handcrafted, wall-mounted bookshelf curves gently at the hem, softening rigid geometries and announcing itself as the heart of the home. It cocoons the mind: noise dissolves and is replaced by nostalgia that settles as soon as you enter. Set against subtle panelling, a swing and a serene Buddha transform the balcony into a natural extension of this open-plan living room, blurring the thresholds between indoors and out.

Soft ashwood takes shape in the coffered ceiling as textured walls and fluted furniture pieces find a home within this space. The dining area remains perpetually drenched in sunlight from the balcony, shifting moods as the day moves from the morning light to golden hour and finally into dusk. Leading deeper in, a narrow passage is lined with wall-mounted, sculptural cane lights.

An academic’s reverie

In the master bedroom, attention is gently redirected away from screens and toward stillness. Where a television might ordinarily sit, an intricately crafted chest takes its place: an intentional choice that resists screen-time in favour of being mindfully present. A Kalakari Haath wallpaper unfurls behind the wood-and-cane headboard. The space is governed by an underlying neatness: a strategically placed mirror and an ingeniously designed chest of drawers create the illusion of layered compartments without visual clutter. Dark wood veneers, pinecone-embroidered curtains, a reading armchair and a compact study desk lend the room the air of a writer’s retreat, evoking the image of an academic escaping to the mountains to finally finish a long-awaited manuscript. In contrast, the daughters’ bedroom leans into lightness and whimsy. Rendered in ivory and soft grey, it’s invigorated by butterfly-embroidered curtains and a lilac-accented study table waiting to be claimed.

At its core, Cedar Cane is a home shaped by remembrance. Despite generous storage woven throughout, the interiors remain remarkably composed. Every nook and corner evokes a sense of belonging.