Living between gardens in Ahmedabad

Modo Designs and Anarr Gunjaria give a three-generation Gujarati family in Ahmedabad a new home shaped by an old habit: living with gardens

04 Sep 2026

Melissa Fernandes

How much can one home be carried into another? We often carry pieces of an old home into a new one — a favourite frame, a beloved chair, a treasured artwork — small reminders of a life once lived there. For this three-generation family in Ahmedabad, however, it was not an object that made the move; it was the garden. Designed by Modo Designs, with interiors by Anarr Gunjaria, the home takes cues from the family’s past abode, where terraces and plantations were an intrinsic part of everyday life.

“Their old house, a series of terraces, became a reference that we tried to interpret in this new house,” says Arpan Shah, Principal Architect, Modo Designs. An Eden slips between rooms and along passages, appearing almost like memories in motion. As one moves through, these planted moments offer the delight of coming across a familiar photograph on an old staircase: a glimpse of something known, encountered anew.

"We explored the passage as a breathing place”

Arpan Shah

Photography by Bharat Aggarwal

A home for three generations

Designed as distinct spaces for family and work, the two entrances are separate at the 9,500 sq ft residence in Science City. Flanked by cascading plants, a flight of steps climbs alongside a feature planter clad in rich red Agra. Walk a little further and the vestibule offers a peek into a lush semi-open court.

The living room anchors one wing of the ground floor, while the opposite wing brings together the dining area, kitchen, guest bedroom and staircase. The dining area gets an open-to-sky deck of its own — just the spot for an unhurried breakfast, a long Gujarati family dinner or come evening, a quick round of garba under the starry night.

A deep blue sectional by Dtale Modern brings colour to the lounge, set against a warm-toned wall and paired with a Jaipur rug and Olie Lighting floor lamp; Photography by Bharat Aggarwal

A custom dining table and console by Anarr Gunjaria Interiors anchor the dining area, surrounded by cane-backed chairs from Dtale Modern, while Oorja pendant lights cast a warm glow overhead and artwork by Vaidehi Parikh punctuates the setting; Photography by Bharat Aggarwal

The master bedroom is tucked towards the southwest, opening onto its own private paved court. Upstairs, the north side is reserved for the family’s workspaces and cabins, while the southern half houses the son’s bedroom and a bedroom, both of which spill onto planted terraces overlooking the central garden.

Slanted evening light pierces the timber, segmenting the windy corridor into high-contrast bars of gold and gloom. “We explored the passage as a breathing place,” says Arpan. And because the garden keeps appearing alongside it, even circulation gets a front-row seat to the landscape.

The passage frames views of the greenscape beyond, allowing glimpses of the garden to unveil along the way; Photography by Bharat Aggarwal

Concrete, Kota, Valsadi

There is no elaborate material choreography here. Locally sourced brick, exposed concrete and red Agra stone set the exterior, while polished Kota stone runs through the interiors. Exposed RCC walls and ceilings meet the warmth of reclaimed Valsadi wood, while terracotta clay tiles lend the upper terraces an earthy grain. Everything remains deliberately bare and true to its materiality, allowing the world outside to become a piece of living art, framed and ever-changing from within.

What began as a recollection of the family’s old terrace house eventually became the family’s habit of living with plants. In the new house, that habit is no longer contained within a garden. It runs through the plan — from the first steps at the entrance to the upper terraces, and through the passage where west light meets timber and leaves. The boundaries have dissolved, and the house now belongs entirely to the garden.

A lush courtyard brings together exposed brick, concrete and timber, with Tattva Landscapes’ planting softening the architecture; Photography by Bharat Aggarwal