A Dhaka Residence: Blending Heritage into Modern Interiors
This 10,000-square-foot residence balances a global perspective with a deep reverence for Indian heritage. It is a space designed for stories to be told, layer by layer, in a contemporary home.
For a contemporary home in Dhaka, we created a space that felt both grand and intimate. The double-height windows flood the room with light, illuminating the blend of modern furniture and traditional textures, like the exposed brick wall and handwoven rug. It’s a space designed for conversations, where the old world and the new can meet.
This is my favorite view of the Dhaka home, capturing its heart. The play of light and shadow across the heritage floor tiles, the glimpse into the sunlit living area, and the connection between different zones all speak to a design that is both open and layered.
A view through the large glass doors shows how we connected the interior spaces. The design allows for glimpses from one room to another, creating a sense of flow and discovery. The terracotta-colored floor tiles add warmth and a touch of traditional character.
This quiet corner in the Dhaka residence is a perfect example of how light changes a space throughout the day. The antique-style chair, which traveled from Cochin, sits by a glass enclosure, blurring the line between inside and out. The patterned flooring was sourced from Mumbai, adding another layer to the home's story.
As evening falls, this corner of the Dhaka home transforms. The glass-enclosed seating area looks out onto the garden, creating a serene space to unwind. The easy chair, with its classic design, invites you to sit and watch the day turn to night.
Sunlight streams into this sitting area, highlighting the textures of the woven chair and the smooth, patterned floor. This space was designed as a transitional zone, a place to pause and enjoy the connection to the lush greenery just outside the folding glass doors.
This living room in Dhaka was designed to be both functional and elegant. The curved sofa softens the grand scale of the room, while the custom furniture and layered textiles add a personal, welcoming touch. It's a space that tells a story of a well-travelled life.
The design of this Dhaka residence was a journey of weaving together different cultures. We used contemporary furniture alongside handwoven rugs and artisanal decor to create a home that feels both modern and deeply rooted in heritage. The large window acts as a canvas, painting the room with natural light.
About A Dhaka Residence: Weaving Heritage into Modernity
Achieving this balance requires careful negotiation between imported luxuries and local craftsmanship. For this residence, we sourced specific artisanal pieces from India to complement the modern architectural shell, ensuring that the grand double-height spaces felt intimate rather than cold. When you consider a project like this, focus on how your everyday objects, like a travel souvenir or a family rug, can define the flow of a room before you even start looking at structural changes.
Designing a home of this scale is not about filling space. It is about creating rhythm. The homeowners, both law professionals with international backgrounds, requested a contemporary home that did not feel detached from their cultural roots. The challenge was to maintain the architectural impact of double-height windows while making the living areas feel like a warm, personal embrace.
We approached the interior styling by layering textures. The heavy lifting was done by contrasting the rigidity of the modern structure with the softness of handwoven rugs and the organic imperfections of artisanal decor. We worked with specialized artisans for the rugs and flooring to ground the space in Indian craftsmanship.
Your Questions Answered
How do you blend international aesthetics with Indian heritage? It happens in the sourcing. We do not force elements together. We look for pieces that share a conversation. A piece of furniture from Cochin can sit perfectly next to a contemporary sofa if the scale and material warmth are aligned.
What is the role of natural light in a home this large? In this residence, the light acts as a dynamic material. We oriented seating nooks around the glass-enclosed spaces to ensure that as the sun moves, the mood of the room shifts. This creates a lived-in feeling that prevents large homes from becoming sterile.
Is this process collaborative? Absolutely. Every fabric choice and lighting fixture was a conversation. My role was to curate, but the soul of this home comes from the owners' own collection of memories and their brave decisions to experiment with textures. Whether it is heritage restoration or contemporary interior styling, the process remains the same: listening to the space and the people who live within it.
Richa Bahl
I am Richa. For me, design is never just about aesthetics—it is about the quiet conversations between light, shadow, and your personal history. I create spaces that hold stories, believing that a home should feel like an embrace rather than a showroom.
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