Living inside a cinematic frame

The Oscar-winning Parasite’s architectural home inspires an Ahmedabad den by PVDRS

08 Apr 2025

When the camera glides across the Park family’s home in the 2019 Oscar-winning film Parasite, the location centred with a modern architectural facade takes focus, besides of course, the movie’s thought-provoking storyline. The home’s appearance — clean lines and open volumes — is a visual moment that lingered in the minds of a young Ahmedabad couple long after the film credits rolled. So much so that the homeowners made it the starting point of their 11,000 sq ft window to the skies.

Crafted by PVDRS in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the couple came equipped with one clear brief: ‘A house similar to the one in Parasite.’ Not a replica, but a mood. A feeling. That sense of openness, lightness and understated drama. Led by founders Keyur Vadodaria, also Head of Architecture alongside Megha Patel-Vadodaria, also Head of Interior Design — the vision brought the Open House to life as it leans into modernism with flat roofs, sweeping glass panes, grey-toned walls and polished wood. But for the architects, the challenge was never to replicate the Parasite house — it was to use it as a springboard. Because where the Parasite house was cinematic, this one is deeply personal. Where it was minimalistic, this is rooted in culture, climate and quiet storytelling.

An 8 ft wide and 11 ft tall solid wood door with custom designed handle; Walls clad in leather finish; Grey granite from south india; River wash Kotah stone flooring; Exposed concrete frame with tipwood screens come together to create an entrance space that is grand; Photography by Umang Shah

Modern musings with a cultural core

Drawing inspiration from Parasite’s iconic house and unlike its Korean design muse, this home doesn’t shy away from softness. Kotah stone floors ground the interiors while white walls and ceilings set the stage for Indian upholstery in earthy neutrals and a curated collection of art — many pieces personally gathered by the homeowners and thoughtfully woven into the visual narrative by PVDRS.

The warmth of the space lies in the details: sliding wooden-framed doors, timber ceilings in the passages and textures that whisper. How does one contextualise this for Ahmedabad’s climate and for the layered rhythms of Indian family life? That was the question.

The oculus provides a vertical connection to the sky and sun, animating the space with its ever-changing shadow patterns; Swing by TECTONA GRANDIS; Sofa and tables by DTATE MODERN; Photography by Umang Shah

View of the ground floor master bed. The large sliding doors when opened, completely blurs the boundary between the inside and the outside; Behind the island bed is a personal study; Photography by Umang Shah

A courtyard of connections

To navigate Ahmedabad’s searing climate, PVDRS turned to passive design. Thick cavity walls shield the west while minimal openings on the sun-drenched east and west facades reduce heat gain. At the heart of the home lies a soaring central courtyard with its open-to-sky volume pulling in light, flushing out warmth and offering a daily communion with nature. Wooden slat screens, draping creepers and a shaded southwest garden choreograph breeze and shadow into a living, breathing canvas.

This home honours the human need to connect with nature and with each other. Spatial boundaries blur across verandahs, gardens and voids. Rooms flow into one another and floors converse. At the centre, an industrial steel staircase rises within the courtyard like a quiet sculptural axis. “Not just circulation,” as Keyur puts it, “but a moment of connection. You feel the presence of others as you move.” One of the home’s most symbolic touches lies in the dining area. A bold double-height wall in red pigmented concrete set against white. It’s a quiet ode to the Lal par sada saree — a Bengali icon where white speaks of purity and red sings of celebration.

The verandah, south garden and the family living space comprises carefully chosen furniture from STUDIOWORKS and DTALE MODERN; Rug from JAIPUR RUGS that complements the red pigmented wall of the verandah in the background; Photography by Umang Shah

Red pigmented concrete wall, wooden sliding doors, river wash Kotah stone, overhead curtain creepers together with planters from ENCOAR; Furniture from TECTONA GRANDIS, STUDIOWORKS and DTALE MODERN; Photography by Umang Shah

Architecture unfolds, one layer at a time

From the street, the home reveals little — stone-clad walls, wooden slat screens and a hushed elegance that invites curiosity. But step closer and the drama begins. A soaring double-height porch anchored by an 11-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide main door hints at the scale and sophistication within. Vertical wooden louvers conceal the puja room and a first-floor guest suite offers both privacy and intrigue.

Cross the threshold, and the heart of the home reveals itself with a sunlit central courtyard steadied by a bold industrial-style metal staircase that threads vertically through all three floors. Just beside it a spiral staircase gently curves down into a well-lit basement housing a home office, gym and design workshop.

A C-shaped passage wraps around the courtyard guiding you through the formal drawing room, a cosy family lounge and a double-height dining space bathed in north light. On one end lies the master suite and kitchen separated by a lush, green-panelled wall that hides the elevator. The master bedroom flows into the southwest garden as does the drawing room through a shaded verandah — blurring boundaries between inside and out.

Climb to the first floor and the home opens up once more. The parent’s suite occupies the southwest corner connected to a family lounge via a generous semi-open terrace. On the opposite side the kids’ room and another guest suite are tucked in with care. One final flight leads to the second floor where two more guest bedrooms sit quietly like thoughtful afterwords to a beautifully layered story.

View of the winding spiral stair in metal and solid wood that takes one down to the basement which is adequately lit by sunken courtyards; Photography by Umang Shah

The longitudinal direction of the house opens towards the south garden through a set of verandahs that contain sliding folding screens in tipwood and metal frame; The exposed concrete slab accommodates planters for curtain creepers which helps reduce direct heat; Photography by Umang Shah

Of favourite corners

Ask Keyur his favourite corner, and he lights up. “The ground floor bedroom,” he says. “It opens out to a lily pond and there’s a built-in bench right beside it making it the perfect spot for a morning coffee and a quiet read.” For Megha, it’s the first-floor verandah with its breezy swing and a dramatic circular cut-out in the roof. “That’s where the family gathers,” she smiles.

Where light pours in and love stays on

A year after the family settled into their new home a handwritten, hand-painted card arrived. It was from the mother and it simply said, “Thank you for giving us such a beautiful house! We love that the house is open! We can see the sky! It is so open and full of sunshine.”

That moment said it all. After months of translating cinematic references into contextual architecture, blending climate-conscious choices with cultural memory and shaping a home that holds space for silence, celebration and everything in between — this message was the truest testament.