A House Reborn: Urban Renovation in Whitefield
A 60-year-old Whitefield property transformed. We retained the original foundation while reimagining the interiors with minimalist, light-filled volumes and reclaimed materials.
The entrance to 'A House Reborn' is marked by a long driveway framed by a creeper-laden pergola. This green corridor creates a peaceful transition from the city into the private sanctuary of the home.
The exterior of the renovated house, showing the interplay of open verandas and solid white walls. The design creates a strong connection to the garden, with large openings that blur the boundary between inside and out.
A view of the home's exterior, where clean white geometric forms interact with the lush garden. The design includes shaded outdoor living spaces that are integrated with the landscape.
The open-plan living and dining area is designed as one continuous space. A double-height window in the living room and large openings in the dining area ensure the home is filled with light and connected to the outdoors.
The living room is defined by a double-height, hand-painted mural depicting local foliage. This artistic feature brings the essence of the garden indoors, complemented by spherical pendant lights and comfortable, modern furniture.
Another view of the living area, where a rocking chair sits before the large foliage mural. This corner is designed as a quiet space for reflection, connecting with the home's artistic and natural themes.
Looking from the dining area into the living room, this view highlights the open, flowing nature of the ground floor. The mural acts as a stunning backdrop, unifying the different zones of the space.
About this collection
Renovating a 60-year-old home requires a delicate balance between structural integrity and modern spatial needs. For this Whitefield project, we focused on dismantling the rigid, compartmentalized layout of the original build to create a continuous, open-plan ground floor. By introducing double-height ceilings and strategic skylights, we pulled natural light into the building's core, connecting the dining and living zones to the surrounding garden.
Designing for an existing footprint brings unique challenges, particularly when the goal is to modernize without losing the building's soul. We kept the original foundation, which provided a sturdy base, but we reworked the internal flow to better suit contemporary living.
Materiality and Texture
We selected materials that bridge the gap between the old and the new. Dark Kota stone flooring provides a grounded, cool contrast to the warm, white-walled living areas. To introduce warmth, we incorporated reclaimed wood for ceiling treatments and shelving, while heritage-patterned floor tiles in the dining area offer a subtle nod to the home's past.
Light as a Structural Element
The central challenge was the lack of natural light. Our solution involved carving out a skylit bridge on the upper level. This architectural intervention does more than just move people between wings; it acts as a light well, funneling sunlight deep into the heart of the house.
Artistic Integration
We collaborated on a large-scale mural for the living room, depicting local foliage to visually bridge the indoors with the garden outside. This, combined with the double-height window in the living area, creates an experience where the landscape feels like a permanent guest in the home. This project stands as proof that renovation, when approached with a focus on structural adaptation and material honesty, can produce a home that feels entirely new without erasing its history.
Studio 4A
We are Studio 4A, an architecture and design practice based in Bangalore. We focus on modern, minimalist spaces that prioritize natural light, local materials, and sensible structural renovations. Our approach is about finding character in the existing architecture and enhancing it, rather than starting from scratch.
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