Unbound links of commonality

This remodelled New Delhi den by Varrun Motihar hides two residences within

18 Jun 2025

How do you perceive boundaries and how does it translate to our living spaces? Built for two siblings with distinctive personalities and lifestyles, a sprawling 4,500 sq ft residence in New Delhi’s Friends Colony West finds a renewed life, split into two units — serving two distinct design directions. “This home was re-designed for two brothers who travel often. Their requirement was for the split units to operate like a service apartment. Each unit was to be self-sustaining with amenities but also serviced from a common kitchen, laundry room and staff boarding rooms,” shares Varrun Motihar, Partner at AV*ARC, as he takes us through the spaces that spark spirited minimalism and modern eclecticism, like night and day.

“This home was re-designed for two brothers who travel often. Their requirement was for the split units to operate like a service apartment" — Varrun Motihar

The wall unit serves as a study-book-media unit on one side, and a bar cabinet that extends into an art wall featuring Madan Mahata’s photograph on the other side; Photography by Lokesh Dang

On an experimental roll

The first residence trails across a living and dining space, kitchenette, a media room and a master bedroom, both with an ensuite bathroom, and a balcony access from every room.

The second residence envelopes a living with a bar area, a banquet dining and kitchenette, a media-study room and a master, with ensuite bathrooms, and a balcony that is accessed from across the home.

The entry passage and lobby traverse a unique trajectory, devoid of natural lighting. Emanating a mood that’s silent, introspective and unapologetic, a discerning choice of elements like the recessed floor and ceiling lighting dominate the space. “The inlaid carpet floor pattern and contrasting skirting detail, the canopied hard wood ceiling, and the sculptural installation at the end of the passage create a moody atmosphere,” says Varrun who worked with art consultant Belinder Dhanoa.

The kitchen in residence two is almost positioned as the central narrative of the apartment. The space is wrapped almost entirely in a single palette — a statement-esque walnut tone — on the floors, wall, ceiling and cabinetry.

The artworks are by Gauri Gill and Nidhi Aggarwal, while the chair is from Flexform, coffee table and armchair from Minotti and rug from Jaipur Rugs; Photography by Lokesh Dang

A sense of airiness permeates the space wrapped in warmth; Photography by Lokesh Dang

Double duty

The two revamped units drape a multitude of materials and finishes, from open grain oak, beige travertine and exposed concrete to leather, terracotta screen, rattan inlays, tobacco brown marble, green onyx accents and more.

At residence two, the wall unit is a structure of pivotal importance, separating the living space from the study-media lounge. Brimming with versatility, the unit does double duty: a study-book-media unit on one side and a bar cabinet that extends into an art wall on the living room’s side. This called for an integration between the pocket window and door system into this wall unit, so that the exposures between these two rooms appear aesthetically clutter free.

Acts of triumph

Akin to craftsmen who’re invested in the process as much as they are in the end result, Varrun and his team detail that manufacturing and selection processes for the furniture and wood work were just as exciting. On setbacks that were triumphed, he says, “Overlaying three clear zones (common area, residence one and two) on a single floor plan with pre-allocated plumbing shafts and electrical facilities posed a challenge. I also paid special attention to keep the residence layouts interesting and atypical.”

As a striking example of a residential equivalent of a co-working space, this New Delhi apartment reimagines ‘living with the family’ with a cooler, new-age vocabulary that balances kinship, individuality and spatiality!