The Chlorophyll Estate by Studio PM is a villa that flaunts its muted colour palette and simplistic design aesthetic

Quaintly set amidst a three acre farm that boasts of 140 varieties of fruits, herbs, flowers and spice plantations, this 4000 sq.ft. villa is in absolute harmony with its surroundings. Revolving around the idea of natural minimalism, the villa flaunts its muted colour palette and simplistic design aesthetic. The focus was never on creating points of interests within the internal spaces. It’s an outward oriented design which celebrates the outdoors.

As one enters the gate of The Chlorophyll Estate a vast sea of lush green landscape welcomes you. A small walk leads you to the quaintly set 4000 sq.ft villa. The entrance is set on the left hand side, which makes one walk around the villa to ensure experiencing the expanse of the space as they walk.

The main entrance leads us straight to the living room with the dining room to the left. Floor to ceiling height sliding windows open up the whole space to the adjoining porch. Next to the dining table is a kitchen which is supported by the service area in the porch space behind. A long corridor leads us from the living and dining space to all other four en-suite rooms, powder room and the terrace.

Each room enjoys its own space outside as the porch envelops the whole structure. Towards the back of the villa the porch space is extended to accommodate a gathering space overlooking the pool which lies just a few meters ahead. The Co-Founders of ‘The Chlorophyll Estate’, brothers Keyur and Nishit Barad both were extremely passionate about this luxury vacation rental project with a farm to table concept.

Having worked on the outdoors (farm land) for over 15 years to develop the farm, the Barad family insisted they wanted the space to be more of a farm stay, close to nature as much as possible but at the same time provides luxury and comfort to the guests that would be visiting.

The space is characterized by black limestone finish tiles, oak wood finish furniture along with semi textured beige walls. The square dining table for 8 is adorned with Pierre Jeanneret’s Chandigarh chairs. The ceiling is plain without any down-light spot lights, fashioned by curved floating cove light detail. Together these elements make the spaces feel light and vast, akin to the beautiful outdoor vistas it captures from every room. All lighting has been intelligently designed to either reflect softly off the walls or glow through the custom made lights in cane and fabric casting a soothing glow in the evening hours. The house reflects ample use of wood, cane and Rattan, providing continuity to the natural environment the villa is set in.

The complete space has only one colour in two tones which runs on all walls. This dull beige envelope reduces the contrasts between the walls and the furniture thus guiding the eyes towards the outside. The ceiling is finished in a simple white to maximize the flooding sunlight as it comes through the windows from all sides of the villa.

Large windows were added throughout the space to enable cross ventilation. This reduces the load on the air conditioning as the temperature inside the villa is always few degrees lower than the outside. The large porch provides direct shade from the sun thus reducing the heat gain throughout the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed designing the large alfresco seating at the back side of the villa that overlooks a 36 feet x 18 feet oxygenated swimming pool. A perfect space to enjoy the sunset with friends and family. It provides a perfect experience of living in the lap of nature whilst enjoying modern aesthetics and facilities.

The complete section has been built in furniture for simpler maintenance. A small bar adorned with exposed brick along with a custom made cane chandelier gives a rustic charm to this space. As day turns to night, the entire space transforms into a dance of shadow and light due to the extensive use of cane and hexagon weave rattan lights. These lights throw patterns onto the walls giving the entire space a mystical touch.

At Studio PM, we have been always practicing the mantra of “less is more”. It never stops being relevant. We were lucky that at the Chlorophyll estate we got to practice the same. Limited colour palette and a strict control over the number of materials used is of utmost importance to us. Use less resources to build a space is something we believe in and strive to do better with every project.

The USP of the villa undeniably is the continuous dialogue between the indoors and outdoors. The most unique aspect is a large peripheral porch that envelops the living spaces. It is a beautiful transition space that leads to the sprawling lawns, the organic vegetable garden and pool area from the rooms. The landscape plays an equal part to the interiors. What you see outside the room is equally important as what you see inside. The ledge that runs around the porch allows you to sit wherever and enjoy the expansive greens.

The original structure was over 15 years old with punctured windows, dingy rooms and old fashioned amenities. The intention was to make minimal changes while maintain a healthy balance between nature and the built. This approach came with its own set of challenges. The door and window heights had to remain low as to retain the old deep beams. To overcome this handicap we replaced most of the peripheral walls by large sliding windows opening up the rooms to the outside. This one move helped us open the space to the bountiful nature outside.

FACT FILE

Name of the project: The Chlorophyll Estate

Firm Name: Studio PM

Architecture Team: Principal Architect Priyank Mehta, Designers: Thwisha Shah, Manushi Shah and Jimita Mistry

Website: www.studiopm.in

Location: Dahisar village, Manor Taluka, Palghar District, Maharashtra

Area: 4000 sqft villa amidst 3 acre farm land

Décor and Branding team: Shriya Nagi, Kern Culture