The space functions as a studio for a small architecture and interior design practice based just off Marine Drive in Mumbai, and is designed to accommodate a principal architect and up to 8 staff. Having worked from home for what seemed like ages during the pandemic, we were excited to get back to physical studio space. The new location for the studio is in a building adjacent to its previous home, with the view of the sea being swapped for one of a garden, and the foliage of two trees outside filtering in the west light.

At just about 30sq.m, it is beset with the typical metropolitan issue of trying to fit a lot into a little. Being based in Mumbai the practice’s work revolves around providing flexible solutions that allow for multiple uses/ configurations of the same space.

To this end the partition between the “cabin” and the open workspace areas is designed as a bespoke sliding screen, allowing for varying degrees of openness. When fully closed, the screen divides the space into a private cabin and an open office area, with daylight diffusing through translucent polycarbonate panels that make up the screen wall. The grooved and fluted profiles of the timber sections continuing from the partition to the ceiling lend an old-world delicacy in an otherwise starkly contemporary interior, an anachronism which typifies the studio’s work. The desks and storage are built in exposed-edge calibrated ply, and the timber staff chairs are custom designed and built by the studio for an earlier exhibition where they formed part of an installation on sustainability. The visitor chairs with the gracefully curved backrests are antiques in teak wood, lovingly restored with a cane back and fabric upholstered seats.

The flooring is acoustic vinyl in a teal tone with a dot matrix micro-pattern, while the ceiling for the open office area is also translucent polycarbonate, which is lit from behind and twists in profile from straight to be arched as it goes across the room. The meeting table doubles up as a lunch table and at the fixed end has a series of storage units, which can be opened in different and interesting ways.

Lighting by Studio Trace incorporates mostly concealed + indirect lighting for the most part for efficiency with optimal visual comfort and reduced strain/ glare. A number of items (desk hanging lamp, shelf clamp lamps, stools, drawer units etc) were sourced from Ikea.