A conference in the woods?

Studio Vasaka carves a secret cabin-like office in Himachal Pradesh

01 May 2025

Tucked away in a quaint lawn surrounded by greens, manifesting through glasshouse exteriors and pristine boardroom interiors, is a factory’s escape for its routine industrial exchanges. This 1,523 sq ft boardroom in the panoramic landscape of Himachal Pradesh defies most of what we know about typical office designs — envisioned by Studio Vasaka.

Led by principal architects Karan Arora and Varchasa Duggal, the co-founder duo of the firm, the workspace emerges to be a realistic concept of a refuge within a factory. “The idea was to create a cabin-like retreat, tucked into a green pocket of the factory, something that feels completely detached from the industrial rush outside. A quiet, immersive escape right in the middle of a bustling setup,” explains Karan.

“This isn’t your typical boardroom. Corporate spaces often fall into two extremes; either stark minimalism or glossy opulence. We wanted neither. We leaned into organic geometries and materials that invite touch" — Karan Arora

The reception area features a chair from Dtale Modern, lighting from iGuzzini and custom made terrazzo table; Photography by Purnsh Dev

Form and formal?

Walk in thinking you’re walking into a factory, but in the middle of the complex, sits a cabin with verdant surroundings that pulls the gaze from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. Almost as peculiar, as it is perfectly framed, the metal framework body built from the ground up is covered in wooden panels that is an extension of the surroundings. With a dynamic, cantilevered canopy and a striking trapezoidal glass doorway, the entrance is only a prologue.

Office design takeaways…
A intense-hued terrazzo reception desk stands against a backdrop of warm oak veneers, adjacent to the cosy waiting area fitted with bright orange seating, all on a canvas of grey flooring that runs through the space.

Disguised by the reception’s backdrop, the reading and archive room and pantry hide in plain sight. The reading room is engulfed in grey, from head to toe. Emanating tranquility, the set up is adorned with eccentric wall sculptures and an industrial black ceiling and light fixtures.

Stepping out of the reading room and back to the reception area, on the left we come across the central focus of this space — the conference room. Through the glass partition, one can look into this inward-outward conference space suffice with a deck, a custom monolithic terrazzo table, massive pendant light (almost like a hanging installation) in an open, expansive space.

The conference room is mostly custom, from the terrazzo table to the large pendant lamps with stretched fabric; Photography by Purnsh Dev

With chairs from Dtale Modern, a table from Objectory, lamps from Studio Manmade and wall sculptures from Claymen, the reading room is a clear respite; Photography by Purnsh Dev

Unclad ceilings and custom detailing

“Instead of rigid formality, we leaned into organic geometries and materials that invite touch—terrazzo, veneer, and wood,” tells Karan. At the core of Studio Vasaka’s design philosophy is telling the client’s story – and telling it with intricate, custom detailing. Shades of grey, taupe and black with pops of warmth define the space. The unclad ceiling from the metal framework with a coalmine finish and sophisticated custom terrazzo tables, present contrasting pictures.

The oak wood is raw. Micro-concrete finished walls sit at the edge of refinement. The metal frame ensures that its impact on the environment is not even close to the striking visual impact of the boardroom. Everything about the space establishes understated luxury. Magnanimity is custom made and encased in green in this factory’s favourite corner!