Traditional Elements and Modern Tastes Shape Vision for Luxury Apartment in West Bengal by Morphlab
The capital city of West Bengal, India, hosts a new apartment designed by Mumbai-based studio Morphlab. Emulating the intersection of tradition and modernity, the apartment, furnished with a handful of eye-catching pieces by Scarlet Splendour, draws from local art forms of Kolkata as well as global contemporary influences. According to Ajinkya Manohar, an associate at Morphlab, the clients are “locally-centered and well-traveled,” making a mixture of these elements essential for the space.
To convey the modern sense of luxury the clients desired, sleek marble flooring and bronze wall paneling are featured throughout the 300-square-meter space. Blending local elements with the universally modern apartment, bright hues—reminiscent of the traditional and colorful Bengali homes nearby—appear throughout the space in artworks and accents, including handcrafted rugs.
Standard wall divisions and partitions are abandoned in favor of blurred boundaries and an asymmetrical layout. The result is a heightened sense of connectivity from the interiors to the outdoors. As Morphlab principal architect Sahil Jain put it, the unconventional curvature of the space is “based on abstract, organic forms inspired by local clay-craft techniques,” and it is also a way of imitating the irregularity of nature. Floor-to-ceiling windows maximize natural lighting, while tropical plants and stylish shutters reference the warm climate characteristic of the region. Abstract artwork further emphasizes the theme of asymmetry throughout the home, which combines modern and traditional elements seamlessly to provide an elegant space to unwind.






