Two good to be true—Modern lines meet contemporary curves in this New Delhi home crafted by SAND

Spruced up with a free-flowing mood of an independent, joyous lifestyle, The Loft in Panchsheel, New Delhi, is a two-bedroom, 2,000 sq ft home for two sisters and their German Shephard. 

Designed by Drishty Vaswani and Sidharth Khanna, Co-founders of SAND, an interior design and styling studio, the home seamlessly amalgamates modern and contemporary styles. Just like the dynamic sisters working as brand leads at Tinder and Ola, the theme of the home cannot be categorised into one box, where it seems ‘monochromatic, but then not quite.’ 

The duo originally resided on the lower floor of the same building with their family but desired to have their own space suited to their lifestyle, be dog-friendly and ideal for entertaining. The two and a half storey building was built in the 1970s, standing as a double-ended sword. Nor was it a blank slate ready to absorb contemporary interventions, nor could the designers alter it to fit their requirements. 

Lined with geometric, black and white tiles, the entry passage intrigues with wall-mounted photographs of pets over the years along with the strategically hung cane pendants. As you walk further, the ceiling height seems to rise and get taller. Floor to ceiling wooden beams that form a passageway and provide privacy on the way to the bedrooms stare back in the space.

To the right, a geometric mirror accompanied by a striped inlay console is reminiscent of the passageway. Coffee table books, a pair of sculptural and potted plants highlight its quirkiness. 

A television lounge featuring an L-shape sofa having the most inviting, sinkable cushion tempts one to abandon work and kick up their feet. Colour-blocked cushions and framed art on a wooden ledge modernise the space, and a small bamboo chandelier and green plants provide respite from the grey tones. 

To the left, the dining area, dominated by a brass and stone dining table, and a living area resplendent in shades of beige face the luscious terrace garden. 

An angled, framed mirror on the wall adjacent to the dining table reflects all the natural light and verdure from the terrace garden. A soft shaped sofa, two metal chairs and a jute rug coalesce to form the living area. 

In the otherwise neutral setup, a few items rebel against the palette. The pastel green upholstery of the dining chair reinforces a youthful aura. A handcrafted inlay coffee table stands out with its patterned top. Black and white pots sit atop an upholstered dust pink bar with a brass frame standing tall against the wall.

A metal French window door frames the entrance to the terrace garden. Outdoor furniture surrounded by lush green foliage in hand-painted planters by artists, and diagonal black and white stripes along the boundary walls contribute to a subtly ludic appendage to the greenery. 

Although the designer duo triumphantly arranged a striking layout, they wondered what more they could come up with sans the structural challenges. “There was so much we could do with the layout if there was the option to pull down or lift up some walls. For the living space especially, we went over multiple iterations of the layout till we finally arrived at the option of making the entire seating setting face the terrace space”, reveals Khanna.

From the passageway at the left of the television lounge, two bedrooms reflect the personalities of the sisters. In the first bedroom, the sister insisted on having a four-poster bed. Leading with that, a monochromatic scheme with warm wood accents brought out the novelty of a black metal four poster bed against a deep grey wall with concrete pendant lights. A rattan reading chair paired with a floor lamp punctuates the contemporary aura of the room. 

The second bedroom design is ferociously modern. A brushed brass bed and a bay window nook are heroes of this narrative. Colourful cushions, stripe wallpaper and flora perfectly accentuate the space and shield it from the mundane.

If this home by SAND is your kind of interior goals, then do check out this New Delhi home by Navya and A Quarter filled with old-world charm