A Charcoal Rhapsody: This 7,500 Sq. Ft. Gurgaon Home Reads Like An Eliot Play

A maiden endeavour is always special and marked by cautious choices. Yet Disha Subramanium’s first project under her eponymous firm is far from the stereotypical predisposition of ‘safe choices.’ Tasked with the paradox of paring down, the family’s deeply ingrained sense of grandeur within a 7,500 sq. ft. home in the heart of Gurgaon. “The homeowners had moved from a large independent home to a high-rise and wanted to retain the sense of richness, ceremony, and familiarity they once lived with,” recalls Disha Subramanium. The result is an abode dubbed ‘Charcoal House,’ dipped in crepuscular hues by Jotun, that might seem like a tableau from an Eliot-esque drama, paired with neo-classical carvings and multifarious masters grounding the home in its Indian context.

Mirage Of The Old Home

Downsizing from a copious bungalow to an apartment is no easy feat. “The clients wanted a home that reflects the opulence and layered character of their previous bungalow while adapting to apartment living,” clues Subramanium. The designer sought to reinterpret the old home’s essence through delineated spaces and ample room for pieces that reflect an intrinsic affinity to collect. “Spatially, they sought clearly defined areas that retained a sense of formality and occasion rather than an entirely open plan,” muses Subramanium.

While a bungalow has its boundaries, maintaining privacy in an apartment can often be challenging. To retain privacy, a slender lift lobby guards the home, where “mirrored frames recall European ballrooms” and reflect the segueing light. The home’s parallels with neoclassicism are glaringly apparent in the wainscoating, gold accents and glimmering porcelain chandeliers from Epoca Lampardi, Napoli.  “As a debut project, the scale and level of detailing presented significant challenges,” the designer points out. Inside the social spaces live up to their name, the dining area withdraws into a cloistered enclave. The esoteric bedrooms hide in plain sight at the far end.

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What’s In A Name

In stark contrast to the typical pallid hues often passed off as minimalism, the designer turns to a charcoal-laced palette underscoring the walls rather than fading them into the background. “Black, or charcoal in this case, was chosen for its emotional and spatial depth,” avers Subramanium. The namesake palette plays a subtle role in easing the family’s transition by lending a sense of depth and a dramatic backdrop to the interiors. She adds, “Dark tones allow artworks, metallic accents, sculptural furniture, and textures to stand out with greater intensity.”  

A Connoisseur of the Arts

The brief was clear: “not to replicate the old home but to reinterpret its spirit in a more contemporary, efficient format.” In this vein, the designer wanted to pepper the abode with apparitions of their old life. Even as the home adapted to contemporary living, the faint vestiges of conformity remained, palpable only in the neoclassical accents, craft pieces and the sculptural furniture. “Each piece was selected for its ability to contribute to the overall narrative rather than as a standalone object,” she notes.

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The rooms are composed around a dialogue between a yearning for craft traditions and contemporary sensibilities, with objets d’art playing a central role. A vintage Devi head from Udaipur stands sentinel, demarcating the publicly accessible living area. “Sculptural pieces and artefacts sourced from across India, including a vintage Devi head from Udaipur, anchor the interiors with cultural depth,” recalls Subramanium. In the living room, a bespoke chandelier slices across the room, measuring the spatial order, while a carved marble fireplace infuses warmth into the otherwise chiaroscuro-drenched interiors.

To establish a sense of connection, the dining space features artworks by Seema Kohli, similar to those in the living area, and punctuates the space with a burst of colour. Against the brooding charcoal envelope, the crimson ceiling glows like an ember, lending warmth and contrast to the interiors. “Indian craftsmanship plays a significant role throughout the home. The mandir area is handcrafted using Thikri mirror work and Pichwai techniques by artisans from Udaipur and Jaipur,” muses Subramanium.

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 A Classical Rhapsody

The bedrooms, too, carry a piebald sombreness. In the master bedroom, charcoal takes a paler stance with a bespoke wooden bed and an antique wooden trunk, each cradling a deep-entrenched cultural history. “The master bathroom incorporates Belgian charcoal marble with mother-of-pearl detailing, creating subtle luminosity within dark surfaces,” explains Subramanium. Meanwhile, the study withdraws from the abode’s charcoal drama, unfolding instead like a page from a history tome. It’s wooden wainscoated panelling, wall sconces, and a lone painting allude to a library from a past life.

Being her debut project, Subramanium had to navigate a continuum of challenges from client timelines to coordinating across artisans and vendors. “One particularly memorable aspect was the development of the custom chandelier and handcrafted mandir, both of which required multiple iterations and close coordination with craftsmen,” she shares. The process involved extensive sourcing across cities and collaborations with artisans. Rather than conceiving objects as standalone statements, each piece finds its place within the home’s larger narrative. Here, works by artists such as M. F. Husain and Seema Kohli punctuate the dark backdrop with colour and movement, while sculptural furniture pieces lend texture and presence. “The process was highly intuitive but guided by a strong emphasis on harmony and composition,” the designer shares.

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In ‘Charcoal House,’ the palette and design style defy conformity. “Black here, isn’t absence it’s presence,” the designer remarks. This presence suffuses the space with warmth, while the offsetting pieces linger as vestiges of the home that once was. The intentional placement of the pieces was to curate an atmosphere rather than “a purely functional residence.”