Designed by Ar. Ekta Agarwal, the House #1 in Chennai, is a 17-year-old residence reimagined for contemporary tropical living, where vastu-led planning, sustainability, and spatial clarity shape a refined family home.
House #1, designed by Ar. Ekta Agarwal, Principal Architect, FOAID Designs, stands at the edge of a busy residential street in Chennai, marking both a literal and conceptual point of departure. Built 17 years ago, the residence has been comprehensively refurbished to align with the language of contemporary tropical living, while remaining grounded in Vastu principles, sustainability, and the practical demands of everyday life.
What began as a limited, single-room intervention gradually unfolded into a complete reimagining of the home. The redesign now extends across all three floors, with new spatial typologies most notably at the terrace level, introduced to accommodate evolving lifestyles and the dynamic patterns of modern domestic living.
Located on a 1,255 sq. m site in Chennai’s humid tropical climate, the house had suffered extensive damage due to termite infestation caused by longstanding water leakage issues. These challenges were studied in detail and resolved at a foundational level, allowing the design team to rebuild not just aesthetically, but structurally and environmentally. Sustainability became an integral part of the redesign, with the introduction of solar panel heating and rainwater harvesting systems to support a more responsible approach to living.
At its core, the concept for House #1 is deliberately restrained. Superfluity is stripped away to make room for layered experiences—spaces that unfold gradually and offer multiple modes of occupation. This is most evident in the planning of the living areas. The house features five distinct living rooms, each designed to serve a different scale of interaction, from intimate family moments to large social gatherings. One living space visually connects with two others, linked through a foyer that establishes a clear sense of hierarchy and spatial drama within the home.
An existing angled wall at the entrance was reworked and straightened, creating a clean, composed arrival sequence that sets the tone for what lies beyond. The architectural elevation draws from the language of tropical modernism. Wooden louvers animate the façade, filtering light while ensuring privacy and thermal comfort. Clay tiles wrap around the exterior surfaces, their earthy texture contrasted against long, white walls punctuated by wooden accents. Landscaping plays a vital role in completing the composition, with tall palm trees framing the house and reinforcing its tropical–rustic character.
To balance the visual mass of the structure, larger symmetrical openings were introduced along the edges of the building. These allow generous volumes of natural light to penetrate deep into the central formal living areas, enhancing both spatial quality and energy efficiency.
The entrance unfolds into a dramatic double-height foyer, immediately establishing a sense of scale and material richness. Stone cladding envelops the walls and floors, lending the space an almost industrial gravitas, while a large natural veneer false ceiling anchors the composition overhead. From here, visual connections extend into the dining hall, reinforcing openness and continuity.
A conscious effort was made to reuse existing materials wherever possible. Much of the marble and teak wood from the original house has been repurposed and recombined, significantly reducing the project’s carbon footprint while adding layers of memory to the new interiors.
The formal living room is defined by a striking six-metre sandstone wall—engraved with abstracted leaf motifs that project subtly from the surface. Raw in texture yet refined in execution, this wall functions as the emotional and visual heart of the home, blurring the line between architecture and art.
In an Indian household, the kitchen is often the most animated space and here, it has been designed with particular care. The homeowner, a professional chef, required a kitchen that could support both everyday cooking and large-scale entertaining. The result is a generously proportioned space organised into wet and dry zones, anchored by a central island that doubles as a breakfast counter, prep station, and informal gathering point.
The wet kitchen opens out to an outdoor area, allowing for seamless handling of large gatherings where utensils and preparation spill beyond the interior. A discreetly planned utility zone enables household staff to move independently between their quarters and the kitchen, maintaining privacy for residents. This separation also ensures that the home can be securely closed off when the family travels, while essential kitchen functions continue uninterrupted.
The basement level is designed as a multifunctional retreat. It houses a home theatre with a bar, a private gym, and a home office—each space acoustically and visually insulated from the bustle of the household above. Storage is thoughtfully integrated throughout this level, accommodating everything from perishables to long-term supplies without disrupting daily routines.
The home office, in particular, plays a critical role, offering the confidentiality and calm required in a busy household—an aspect that proved especially valuable during the Covid-19 period, when the home functioned as a fully self-sufficient environment.
Ascending to the first floor, the private quarters unfold. Larger glass openings were introduced to enhance daylight and ventilation, while spatial zoning within each bedroom allows for individual lounges and walk-in wardrobes. Four bedrooms converge around a central party living area, complete with a dry pantry. This space can expand further through a large foldable swivel glass partition, adapting effortlessly to gatherings of varying scales.
The terrace emerges as one of the home’s most dynamic spaces—a vast breakout zone designed for social interaction. Equipped with a cabana, water fountain, and generous seating, it acts as an extension of the interiors, blurring the boundary between inside and out. Elsewhere, even residual spaces have been carefully utilised: a Zen garden nestles beneath a balcony, while landscaped pockets appear throughout the house, reinforcing a strong connection to nature.
Today, House #1 stands as a testament to how thoughtful refurbishment can extend the life of an existing structure while elevating it to meet contemporary aspirations. Through careful planning, material reuse, vastu alignment, and climate-responsive design, the residence delivers optimal comfort in terms of light, ventilation, functionality, and aesthetics.
More than a renovation, House #1 represents a quiet yet confident transformation—one that respects its past while embracing a modern, sustainable future tailored to the lives it now supports.
