Embedded in a quiet and leafy Northern Bangalore neighbourhood, The French Country Home presents itself as a portal of sorts, whisking one away to the allure and quiet opulence of a design style from another part of the world!

Our rendezvous with our client, Shibu Thomas, was through a shared acquaintance. Intriguingly this collaboration transpired through a series of conversations which revealed that we would be coming on board as a design studio for Shibu and his business partner, working on two apartments within the same housing complex.

Fact File:

Project Name, Location – The French Country Home, Bangalore

Typology and Square Footage – 4-BHK Residential Apartment, 2,500 Square Feet

Text Credit – Lavanya Chopra

Photography Credit – Yash R Jain   

Design Team – Nain Belliappa and Ritushree Belur

Our primary conversations and interactions with Shibu unveiled his complete coherence and clarity regarding his overarching vision and requirements for the home he and his family would inhabit. In addition, he was refreshingly invested in every step of the process, posing as a strong collaborator and adept decision-maker. We would say we got lucky as a studio, landing a duo of terrific and open-minded clients who each encouraged us to push our envelope in myriad ways!

The Thomas’ trace their roots to Kerala; the nature and identity of their homes over the years were references they wanted to intentionally steer clear of, delving into a design style that was almost an antithesis to the former. One of the first inputs on our checklist was to do away with dark, heavy, and over-embellished usage of wood tones in any form! Growing up, Shibu attests to having lived in ancestral homes bedecked in rosewood and teakwood, which apparently made an unmissable cameo in his former home too.

The interior scheme we were entrusted with leaned strongly in the direction of European, and cheery country-style homes, a stark departure from the familiar design ethos for the family! The process of establishing the ‘French Country’ aesthetic was somewhat organic; we honed this by understanding what the client was significantly influenced by while ideating and presenting mood and material boards.

We would aver that the core impetus behind our inspiration in this home’s case was our client himself — it was his unflinching vision, clarity, and ambition that fuelled our endeavours as designers on the project!

One of the core challenges we went head-on with was designing this home during the Pandemic. We initiated the design process during the start of the period, which had to then be paused on account of the unanticipated situations and returned to the drawing board almost a year later. The stopgap process required us to adapt with agility, but once we began, the collective French dream enabled us to steam forward! We were also uber particular about the vendors we chose to collaborate with on this home, ensuring that their finishes and offerings fit the aesthetic we were conjuring painstakingly, even at the cost of a few extended timelines.

The conceptual pulse of the home is ubiquitously apparent, enveloping every part of the residence holistically. A cool palette of greys, blues, whites, distressed finishes, and oak tones are the flagbearers of the aesthetic across The French Country Home. In our distinctive take on the home’s design DNA, we have combined European elegance with a muted rustic comfort that lends the spaces a plush yet lived-in feel. Soothing hues, raw materiality, patterned fabrics (toile, French stripes, textured linens), and gilded accents express a contemporary flair that crosses over with an old-world charm!

One walks into a well-defined foyer, creating a vignette steeped in Parisian allure. An ornate, bespoke console sits against the cool grey wainscoting-clad walls. The long format, grey-toned vitrified tiles embrace the communal canvas of the home, matching the aesthetics fittingly while underscoring the residence’s monotoned demeanour.

The gilded mirror by Parrot & Lily grounds one’s gaze instantly and amplifies the spatial amplitude of the quaint foyer. The crystal-decked and brass wall sconces by Tisva flank the mirror, echoing the stated grandeur of an era bygone. Leitmotifs in baroque and renaissance design, the Cherub sculpture presides over this nook, nodding to the roots of the family’s faith. Curated ornaments of blue pottery adorn the area, adding a pop of colour and pattern to the otherwise pared-down milieu.

The living room seems to emerge from a warmth-filled cottage by the eminent river Seine, one crowned by zinc roofs and bordered by swirling, cobbled pathways. A textured grasscloth wallpaper sourced from Kosh Furnishing Studio in a grey hue earmarks the zone, ushering in subtle colour and pattern play. The vintage countryside art print by Juniper Print Shop, christened ‘Solitude’, feels meditative and idyllic against its backdrop.

Customised with finesse, all furniture in this space was crafted byCane Boutique, which underpins the confluence of the old and new. A sumptuous chesterfield sofa rests accompanied by two pale blue-hued, classic armchairs with embroidered cushions. The daybed, furnished in an indigo shade and sheathed in a striped fabric with intricate details, sits bordering the other edge of the room, complete with bolster cushions. The round coffee table with turned legs rests over the self-patterned carpet by Jaipur Rugs and ties the space together effortlessly. The glass pendant light and gilded jardinières by The Purple Turtles complement the space, channelling a transitional aesthetic.

The French Country Home’s dining area is reminiscent of a sunny countryside château! The exhibited design vocabulary of the space walks a fine line between elan and familial comfort, creating a node for the family to gather within. The dining area has been imagined around a pedestal oakwood table with a sculptural construct. The shape of the table facilitates increased circulation in the light-washed nook by the balcony, allowing loved ones to congregate.

The vivid ochre hue of the upholstery and dainty botanical prints inject a whiff of colour into the zone, adding visual relief to the unadorned space. An antique-style candelabra chandelier by The Purple Turtles crowns the dining table, distilling myriad shadows through its crystal-jewelled form. The distressed aesthetic makes a cameo as the white-bathed crockery credenza, and on the other end, a metallic leaf ornament dots the wall.

Doused in timelessness, the kitchen exudes a suave look that is bold and moody, crafted in association with Zenia India. The floors are swathed in Victorian-style, motif-sheathed tiles typical of old European homes. We opted for a gunmetal grey PU shade for the millwork, sleek brass hardware by Studio Made, and contrasting subway tiles in a bright white hue over the dado.

Though compact in its expanse, the kitchen has been designed with a keen eye for detail, envisaging maximised pragmatic function and storage. Despite its petite blueprint, we were able to introduce an oak veneer-finished breakfast counter, a feature that scales the walls and extends as a free-standing counter finished with a pair of high bar stools and smoked glass luminaires.

Considering the client’s penchant for entertaining, we have transformed the storage nook in the kitchen into an inconspicuous pantry which also masquerades as a wine bar and coffee station for get-togethers and soirées! Furthermore, an adjoining utility space gives the generic, builder-grade area an upgrade, making ample room for a dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, large sink, and broom closet.

Marking a spatial transition into the resting spaces of the home, the passageway depicts a change of materiality. The vitrified flooring alters into the white ash herringbone flooring, warranting an ingrained sense of warmth. Wainscoting continues as an identity in this zone, alternating between a white shade at the bottom and a light grey over it. Finally, a sprightly piece of art marks the end of the passageway with a hearty dose of colour in the form of a mosaic-composed scenery of a whimsical town, a bespoke piece created by Glasscrafters with embedded glass-coloured chips.  

The ensuite master bedroom rests immersed in repose, suggesting it may as well belong in a farmhouse nestled in a dreamy French province! The objet d’art in the space is the headboard wall, donning the role of the visual protagonist and muse within the room. We collaborated with Design by Metamorph to create a customised chinoiserie-inspired mural, fragmented into a triptych-style painting. Each of these panels is framed in intricately moulded frames, creating a focal element in the four-poster bed’s backdrop. The pigeon blue-finished bed is a custom shade concocted for us by Magari and adds a vivacious dose of colour to the bedroom. The Jaipur Rugs carpet below reflects the nature-inspired undertones, building on the reign of blues and greys in the space.

The PU-tinted nightstands fringing the resting area display a fluted fascia and are crowned by white marble tops, adding refined materiality to the mix while staying grounded in minimalism. The delicate, smoked glass pendants by Light Square underscore the underlying modern sensibility of the bedroom.

The light tones of white travel further onto the panelled wardrobes bifurcated into his and hers sections. The closets have been detailed and designed by the studio and executed by Zenia India to cater to the needs of the couple. Facing the bed, an expansive console lines the edge of the room, doubling up as a vanity on one end with a full-length mirror, a two-toned dresser chair, and statement wall sconces.

A symphony of warm and pastel tones, the daughter’s bedroom is chic and simultaneously playful! The panelled headboard in deep teal forms the backdrop to the suede peach-toned bed, creating a colour-soaked oasis for the young inhabitant.

The classic ivory nightstand is paired with a glass and brass globe wall sconce, welcoming a hint of vintage charm. Fabric choices take centre stage in the bedroom, premiering as layered, fringed, pom-pom laced, and patterned soft furnishings sourced primarily from Altrove, partnered with a floral runner by Jaipur Rugs.

The taupe-toned wardrobes and marble-lined vanity add functionality and storage to the bedroom, elevated with doses of brushed brass for that touch of elegance. An assortment of succulent plants has been grouped in gilded planters, adding just a sliver of greenery to the daughter’s space.

The guest bedroom is nostalgic of plush and high-ceilinged chambers in old French homes, viewed from a fresh and modern lens. The moulding-framed headboard wall creates an arresting visual, cloaked in a warm cobalt hue. The rosewood bed happened to belong to the homeowners and makes for a serendipitous addition to the space after a fresh coat of white paint.

We introduced an old-fashioned chest of drawers by Urban Ladder with a mirror roosted over it, provisioning it as a dresser nook. Next, we added a study table for the family to use for remote work or schooling schedules; this corner extends further into the soft white wardrobe, aligning all the cabinetry neatly along one edge of the bedroom.

The family room in the original blueprint was transformed into an entertainment room. The walls of the space have been enveloped in white ash veneer shiplap. The room harbours a television console, a comfy sectional sofa for lounging, and a botanical-themed wallpaper that nods to the overruling design grammar of the residence.

With The French Country Home, we have been able to traverse a newfound path, unlocking a unique design disposition, and we could not be happier! The outcome is a 180-degree shift from what the clients have inhabited and experienced over the past.

A jigsaw of sensations, images of an era bygone, and memories waiting to be made, The French Country Home has indeed been a collective labour of love for the clients and our team! Even though the aesthetic stems from another part of the globe and era, it calibrates itself seamlessly to meet the family’s lifestyle, necessities, and aspirations.