All about warmth

Situated in the busy by-lanes of Karkhana, Captain Prakash Rao’s 8000 sq. ft three-storied home is the jewel of the neighbourhood. Captain Rao, his wife Rama Rao and their 23-year-old son Santosh live here. Now, an entrepreneur, Rao and his wife worked on this house for over five years and call it their “dream home”.

Three years ago, when Rama approached her architect Kanan Modi to design her house, the brief she gave was very simple: “The house should elicit warmth.”

The reinforced cantilever staircase

Keeping that in mind, the architect replicated the principle of warmth throughout the house with various elements including wood and glass. These have been used liberally but aesthetically, like the wooden cantilever staircase, which creates a stunning illusion of depth, for example.

The 15 ft handcrafted marble wallThe ground floor comprises the living room, which has a 15-foot wall made of handcrafted marbles. There’s also the drawing room, where Rao displays his  mementos. While the first floor has a very spacious master bedroom with huge walk-in wardrobes, the second floor is for their son’s bedroom. The room has been given an industrial look. The third floor has been set aside for parties with a private kitchen and a bar.  

The formal living room on the ground floor

Another aspect Rama was keen on was the multi level connectivity. “Standing on the third floor I can look down on what’s happening on the ground floor now,” says Rama. “This also helped provide plenty of light and ventilation across the entire house,” says Kanan Modi.