Copy of MONIKA & KUNJ'S HOME

A PLAY OF COLOR, LIGHT & TEXTURE WINS OVER THE HEARTS OF THESE NEW HOMEOWNERS

Vinanti was catching up with her friend Monika on the phone when Monika shared that she and her husband Kunj had purchased a home in Decatur, Georgia, minutes from downtown Atlanta. Monika, who had admired Vinanti’s work on social media, asked Vinanti to renovate the living, dining, and breakfast areas of her new home. 

THE EXISTING SPACE

The couple provided some photographs of the existing space with some staging furniture in it. While they were looking to purchase new furniture to make this new home their own, Vinanti advised them of “other ways” to achieve this goal. She identified key architectural elements in the space that were builder grade, and not designed with any intent in mind. Updating these key architectural details would not only update the builder grade home to a custom design, but also play a huge role in injecting Monika and Kunj’s personalities into their new home.

CULTURAL CONNECTION & DISCOVERY

Born and brought up in India and having moved to the United States in their early twenties, the two friends have a lot in common – career journeys, raising multi-cultural kids, and day-to-day lifestyle functions of cooking, cleaning, working, and entertaining. During the design intake process, Vinanti discovered that Monika wanted harmony in her environment, a sense of peace. She also wanted original design with a punch of personality and cultural authenticity.

CUSTOM DESIGN USING SEMI-CUSTOM COMPONENTS

To achieve the couple’s desires for their home on budget, Vinanti designed custom focal features from semi-custom components. She also gave careful consideration to sightlines and layered in rich nuanced color. Now the cookie cutter white rooms are a play of light, color, and texture, an expansive welcome to a distinctive home. New features include:

Living Room

• Graphic Concrete Collaborative tile in a custom teal-and-white color surrounds the fireplace

• Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade Quarterline doors in a micro-shaker profile, flank the fireplace, topped with Ikea walnut countertop pieced into a continuous span for a mantle

The focal point of the living room is the graphic concrete tile around the fireplace. This tile was the starting point of the design concept because Monika loved the modern graphic. Vinanti wanted to use it in an eclectic setting as she realized during design meetings that the couple's style was more eclectic. The inspiration was a black & white tile and one used here is custom teal and white. Walnut mantle and custom millwork on wall stretches the space horizontally.

The more horizontal surfaces there are the more opportunities for clutter to collect, so Vinanti intentionally took that away. The mini side tables only allow space for one (temporary) item - a coffee cup, a wine glass, a cell phone.

The curved white trim detail is hand crafted by Kunj. Multiple seating options and storage incorporated into the design.

Dining Room

• Ikea/Semihandmade cabinetry, accented with custom walnut niches, suggests an “entryway” with two cabinet towers and a lintel-like span at ceiling height

• A large inset mirror enhances the impression of “entryway” as it dynamically reflects white arches and stairwell creating an intriguing sense of continuous spaces beyond

• Contrasting cabinet colors in living and dining both enliven and relax the spaces

Blue cabinet towers with lintel above and mirror inset - to mimic an "entryway" that is seen through and reflects the archway to the dining room. The stairwell reflection adds to the depth and continuity of space beyond.

Circular dining table eliminates any sense of hierarchy and creates a friendly and light atmosphere for gatherings. Subtle layering of elements creates drama.

Black and white print references Kunj's passion and playful experiments with music.

Custom walnut niche simply styled with Monika's wine glasses.

Breakfast Nook/ Partition

• New, walnut-framed “window” disguises a load-bearing column

• Clears sightlines, and maximizes natural light

• Graphic Concrete Collaborative tile in a custom teal-and-white color surrounds the fireplace

• Ikea cabinets with Semihandmade Quarterline doors in a micro-shaker profile, flank the fireplace, topped with Ikea walnut countertop pieced into a continuous span for a mantle

Black and white print references Kunj's passion and playful experiments with music.

Custom walnut niche simply styled with Monika's wine glasses.

There was an awkward load bearing column with a pony wall topped with a granite countertop in the breakfast area. The couple brainstormed many ideas with Vinanti about what could happen here - hang large scale art work, stain glass to make it look like a window, etc. Finally, Vinanti drew up an asymmetrical walnut window-like partition that would keep sightlines clear between spaces, allow free flow of light, and also conceal the column and the pony wall. Monika and Kunj were in love with this modern partition and Kunj sourced the walnut himself from a local lumber yard to get this architectural feature built to the exact specs provided by Vinanti.

Breakfast furniture and lighting emphasizing a circular, more egalitarian layout, and window partition beautifully conceals the column.

DIY ENERGY

Kunj found the design process exciting and was motivated to DIY. Vinanti worked with him to identify the details he could DIY and those best left to the pros. The result is a warm and beautiful mix with Kunj’s hand in the walnut partition and the curved white trim flanking the fireplace.

LONG DISTANCE COLLABORATION

Vinanti provided 3D renderings and construction drawings to installers, easing a lot of their calculations. Monika and Kunj provided detailed dimensions of the home, and found local skilled craftsmen to get the work done. As a result, the project came to fruition without Vinanti ever setting foot in the home.

Vinanti, Monika, and Kunj videoed much of the process, from early consultations through installation.

STYLING FOR AUTHENTICITY

Vinanti layered the space with the family’s belongings and Monika’s treasured white objects including the round marble mirror. Her only outsourced item is the dining room’s graphic black & white print of a musician referencing Kunj’s musical passions.

Arches dynamically reflected in the "entryway" add intrigue and draw the eye further into the space. Light filters into the space from both ends enlivening the atmosphere.

A DRAW FOR THE FAMILY

Monika reflects: “when I sit on the sofa and think about what my eye sees, I feel a sense of quiet satisfaction and awe about how each line is serving a purpose and how perfect it is.” She adds that the new space is a big draw for family conversations.

Vinanti appreciates that Monika & Kunj generously described how they wanted to feel in their new home and allowed her be open ended with design. She played with concepts while methodically driving the design process. The resulting space is a synthesis, a highly tailored mix that comes from a mutually energizing (client-designer) process.

Vinanti, Monika, and Kunj videoed much of the process, from early consultations through installation.

There is a lot of color in this space and it could easily begin to look like there's too much. But there's a method to this madness. The overall space has the variety that is expected in an eclectic space, but the colors are unified. This is strategically done by pulling colors of one space from the rug in the adjacent space. The burnt orange of the chairs is from the dining room rug, and the blue of the dining cabinets are from the living room rug. The living room cabinets could easily have been blue to match the ones in the dining room, but the soft green color was very intentionally chosen to create a look that's informal and relaxed.