A compact 650-square-foot home in Thane, India, is challenging conventional ideas about luxury living by proving that elegance doesn't require expansive square footage. Designed by Pooja Rana of Inside Story Studio, this remarkable residence demonstrates that true luxury lies in the richness of details rather than the size of the space.
The project was inspired by an unexpected source - tiramisu, the famous Italian dessert - with the home incorporating the dessert's layered aesthetic and warm color palette throughout its design. Rana set out to deconstruct the notion that compact spaces must necessarily compromise on elegance, creating what she describes as a recipe for minimalist luxury infused with gentleness and warmth.
The home's design language seamlessly blends colonial charm with minimalist sophistication, where storage and openness are carefully balanced and every detail serves both function and narrative. The entrance hall welcomes visitors with soft contours, airy curtains, and tactile finishes that create an illusion of space without sacrificing intimacy. Floating shelves and molded arches integrated into accent walls enhance this spacious feeling.
"This Thane house realizes the client's vision of wanting a natural and refined space that is both intimate and welcoming," explains the architect. The transition zones, far from being mere connecting spaces, are highlighted by strategic lighting and gentle curves that make movement through the house fluid and intentional.
The kitchen, efficiently aligned along one wall, opens onto a small utility balcony, adding a touch of practicality to the design. A small dining nook within the kitchen maximizes the use of precious and limited space, featuring the Helios model light fixture from Claymango. In contrast to the warm tones of the house's natural wood, the modular slate blue kitchen stands out as a functional and refined space, designed for both aesthetic appeal and daily efficiency.
Curves serve as a recurring motif throughout the home, with arches and rounded edges replacing sharp lines to bring both visual and tactile softness. In the living room, lime-washed walls breathe through their natural, velvety texture, capturing light in ways that change throughout the day. The material palette offers a tactile delight - genuine wood and rich veneers add warmth and depth, PVC laminates ensure durability in high-traffic areas, and weather-resistant finishes preserve the charm of outdoor seating despite the elements.
The master bedroom, designed according to Japandi style principles, incorporates the curved finishes that give the house its gentle fluidity while adding a subtle touch of interest to its neutral, minimalist setting. The pendant light in the bedroom comes from Nikita Bansal's Yaahvi collection for The Living Influence, while the lime paint on the walls is by Kemtex. An arched headboard provides continuity to the stylistic language.
The children's room features a raised wooden platform to integrate storage underneath, while matte gray wardrobes with oversized wooden knobs add a playful yet refined touch. "Maximizing comfort in such a compact space required a lot of ingenuity," adds Pooja Rana. "In the bedrooms, multifunctional built-in furniture, hidden storage, and carefully proportioned furniture were essential to free up floor space without sacrificing functionality."
The two bathrooms tell different stories - one is serene and minimalist with sand tones and sculpted textures, while the second is rich and expressive with shimmering colored tiles and striking graphic accents. This harmony between past and present is perhaps the most appealing quality of this house, which seems timeless, as if it could exist in another era while being perfectly anchored in the present.
The architectural language combines old-world elegance with modern minimalism, where colonial-inspired arches evoke a sense of nostalgia while clean-lined furniture and subdued colors give the whole an contemporary aesthetic. Through tactile finishes, clever storage solutions that blend into walls, and a meticulous choreography of light and colors, this Thane residence proves that luxury is not measured in square meters but in the wealth of thoughtful details.
