This 9,000 Sq-Ft Haryana Residence Is A Masterclass In Architectural Movement

Capturing the trajectory of motion in architecture is a rare storytelling device. Conceived by Saurabh and Palak Singla of Chandigarh-based studio Design i.O, the 9,000 sq. ft. Equinox Home in Panchkula fuses typologies of cinema, photodynamism and hip-hop into a spatial rhapsody that appears to chase the horizon without pause. The brief from the clients, a young, thriving couple, was clear. They were looking for something colossal in scale yet intimate in experience. Drawing lifeblood from the Neo-expressionism and Futuristic design popularised by Zaha Hadid, a Soft Brutalism of exposed textures, and the Contemporary Eclectic movement that deftly juxtaposes eccentric pop art with a more classical palette, this home emerged as a layered study in what it means to design a space that evolves with time. “A home should never be static; it should breathe, transform and adapt just as its inhabitants do,” notes Palak.

In a rebellion against the straitjacketed functionality of minimalism, this home derives impetus from the relatively more postmodernist legacy of Neo-Expressionism. The entrance foyer sets the tone for this sensibility. A black accent table pairs beautifully with curved monochrome seating and an amorphous crimson rug, establishing a personalised expression of spontaneity. An arched red console serves as both a dramatic pause and prelude, setting the rhythm for the visual language that follows. Rather than being guided by strict rules or formal aesthetics, this home’s design was nimbly woven around the social lives of its inhabitants.“The clients wanted a home where they could host parties, connect with friends over games, and be able to wind down after work.”

Where Duality Stirs Inspiration

“Going deeper into the project, we realised that the couple had very distinct aesthetic preferences. One favoured serene browns and beiges, while the other was drawn to bold colours,” recalls Saurabh. This inherent dichotomy laid the foundation for an underpinning stylistic vocabulary rooted in Contemporary Eclecticism. In the Equinox Home, it became the ideal approach to reconcile two conflicting personalities through a series of seamlessly expressive spaces. In the formal living room, this balance is quite confidently achieved. Textural sofas, luminous marble and brass tables, and a plush rug create a scene of understated grandeur. A reimagined, Ghibli-esque Mona Lisa lends a tongue-in-cheek irreverence.

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In the informal living room, the playful energy is given a looser leash. A low-slung, elegantly rounded sofa and armchairs are paired with a fluid-patterned rug in neutral tones accented with Prussian blue, while the panelled wooden wall and black marble table imbue the space with a grounding, reassuring presence.

A Calming Language Of Comfort

Ascending to the first level, one enters the nucleus of personal and social realms: a constellation of bedrooms, a pantry and an exuberant games room. “A meticulously curated palette, reinforced through strategic material repetition, weaves a sense of continuity throughout the home, while nuanced variations lend each space its unique character,” notes Palak. This philosophy finds its most ostensible iteration in the master suite, where comfort and material honesty are carefully calibrated.

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Drawing from Japandi design principles, particularly the idea of ‘hygge’, this space embraces a sense of calm through meticulous layering. Cinnamon hues settle gently against ivory, while ombre salmon drapes blur the sharp edges. Throws, bed linen and plush upholstery create a cocooning effect, adding dimension without visual clutter. 

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The game room is a spirited tribute to nostalgia and childhood summers, drawing inspiration from arcade culture’s most iconic offering: ‘Pac-Man.’ With its intuitive path-finding and two-dimensional layout, the game’s labyrinthine design has long amused interior designers for its simplicity and spatial clarity. Channelling this influence, the room is shaped as a vibrant matrix of sensory cues and interactive design. A customised poker table sits under a statement string chandelier. The walls are clad in Pac-Man-inspired panels, rendered in vivid primary hues. Opposite, an avant-garde shelving system of interlocking geometric forms transmutes functionality into visual cadence, invoking motifs of Contemporary Eclecticism immanent through the home.

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A Canyon Where Time Flows Deep

“This home’s design draws inspiration from the horizon, an ever-present boundary that appears static yet is in constant flux. This illusion of permanence and movement sets the tone for a home that is both structured and fluid, balancing stillness with transformation,” says Palak Singla. This sense of free-flowing bohemianism is most pronounced in the home’s uppermost volume called ‘Canyon Conversations’, a semi-covered lounge and terrace imitating a spaceship capsule ricocheting through the ether of time. Undulating contours ripple across the walls, ceilings, and floor, dissolving rigid linearity in favour of nifty alcoves, a bespoke bar and sci-fi themed skylights. Planters blossom organically from the winding silhouettes, suturing greenery into the spatial narrative, while a voluptuous wave wall carves out a secluded corner for languid conversations. Underfoot, the terrazzo flooring is artfully inlaid with Lakha Red Granite, resonating with the custom bar stools. The staggered ceiling, a masterstroke here, invokes the topography of rice plantations or extraterrestrial vessels from outer space.

This choreography continues into the spa retreat, where the transition feels nearly imperceptible. The space is cloaked in a monolithic material palette that revives the pared-down tactility of soft brutalism while conjuring a deeply sensual tranquillity. At the heart of this introspective zone, a built-in jacuzzi basks beneath a circular skylight. As sunlight filters through and shifts with the day, the interiors transform, inhabiting the tenets of photodynamism: a design philosophy that encapsulates the pathways of light and motion through architectural form. 

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“They aspired for their home to be a conversation starter, yet at the same time feel personal and functional,” Saurabh sums it up. That aspiration plays out through every curve, contour and composition within Equinox. The spatial volumes dip into the springwells of neo-expressionism, while the sense of movement and visual rhythm references Futurism and Photodynamism. The muted, swirling palette of soft Brutalism imbues earthy calm from the ever-changing terrain of dunes. Passive strategies, such as overhead skylights, natural ventilation and soft partitions, are complemented by active ones like solar panels and rainwater harvesting; thereby entrenching the home in present-day signposts of sustainability. The Equinox Home evolves with its inhabitants, riding the ebb and flow of everyday living. As the sun maps out its journey through the skylights or irradiates the textured walls, this home transforms into a sentient being; one that balances the serene with the sculptural, and movement with stillness.