Homes like heirlooms

Palna Shah becomes the inheritor and architect of a bungalow passed down by her grandfather

30 Jul 2025

When we think about age as a concept, time and longevity is often the first seed of thought. Like us, architecture and built spaces are privy to age and time, too, an understanding that covers the length and breadth of this 70-year old multi-generational bungalow in Ahmedabad, passed down to the lady of the house by her grandfather. The beauty of this space is that the homeowner Palna Shah is the architect herself of her firm P&S Associates.

Through her design and ways of revival, the generously sprawling 7,000 sq ft home lays out a simple thought that tackles the void between permanence versus adaptability. Dubbed the Naren House after her grandfather C. Naren, an avid art and antiques collector, Palna’s primary motive was to retain the past and its original attributes, and still be present in the current times. “The idea was to enhance the artefacts and the craft that has been lost and build a canvas to do justice to all the treasure that has been carefully collected over time,” the principal architect expresses.

An antique brass and wood center table anchors the backyard, paired with a vintage wooden jharokha wall piece for added charm; Photography by Prachi Khasgiwala

Not lost in time

The home flows through a living room, a dining area, two kitchens, a backyard deck and three bedrooms, also enveloping the architect’s office and an entertainment area on the second floor. “I have used pops of terra-red and a particular shade of green that we find in antique pichwais displayed on few of our walls, which makes the palette interesting.”

A common link of connectivity indoors is likely the flooring; a spread of white terrazzo that brightens up the spaces and sits as a neutral foundation. “Terrazzo brings in a sense of the age-old technique of flooring tiles that are lost in time,” says Palna, adding that the use of teakwood becomes a source of warmth inside the heritage setting.

In the transitioning space sits an antique elephant sourced from an ancient temple; Photography by Prachi Khasgiwala

A100-year-old Pichwai sets the tone in the living room, with antique Sweden rosewood sofas grounded by terrazzo flooring, Onebytwo centertables and warm Oorjaa lamps; Photography by Prachi Khasgiwala

For Palna, assembling the antiques and artworks was challenging yet eventually triumphant, “why it was also the most fun part of designing was because we got the liberty to overlap two eras and still make it look like one.”

Hall of memories

Designed to appear like a walkthrough gallery of antique paintings, the staircase punctuates itself as the soul of the home. Artworks on all sides surround one as they descend or ascend the stairway.

One of the most delightful parts of reviving the home has been the passageway with a massive elephant sculpture, which connects the dwellers to all the other areas indoors. As Palna informs, “The dining opening up to the backyard has also been a serene, peaceful space. Spillover spaces that bring in sunlight and a swing that has always been a vital part of our lives is where the storytelling takes place.” This home in Ahmedabad is an example of spaces that still exist as custodians of the fragments of the older generations, a collection of memories, inherited to express and rethink legacies.