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PUNE, June 23: Five hundred and twenty square feet of space and a lavish home in it! Difficult as it is to conjure up this image, it has bee...

PUNE, June 23: Five hundred and twenty square feet of space and a lavish home in it! Difficult as it is to conjure up this image, it has been done with finesse and panache by architects and interior consultants, Anju and Ashwin Lovekar in their own apartment at Pashan. The efforts of the duo were crowned by the IIID India Award 1998 young designers8217; practice for the residential category.

Graduates from the JJ School of Architecture, the young architects have made Pune their home. And they have made their one bedroom den into a modern and comfortable niche, 8220;Striking a balance between space utility and aesthetic appeal.8221; Described in their words, 8220;The apartment reflects simplicity and freshness in design, relevance to materials used, fidelity to their needs and strong importance to space planning.8221;

The couple works on creating the right ambience, comfort and warmth rather than on the heavy duty decorative elements. They have tried to make this their hall8217;mark in all the interiors they design, whether it is a residence, an office or showroom, they claim. In their home, the living space has foam cushions, piled on top of each other with back-up cushions.

These can alternately be used as sleeping mattresses when guests arrive. The small interior has two bathrooms, one of which even has a bathtub. The dining space has a drop-down table, neatly put up against the wall when not in use. There8217;s space enough for a washing machine, linen storage, loft tank and boiler. States Ashwin Lovekar, 8220; The design is not rigid. To make maximum use of a space, flexibility is very important.8221; Another stylistic idiom is colour. 8220;We love colours,8221; chirp the two together, who cannot resist experimenting with the brighter side of the palate. Red, black, yellow and orange has given their award-winning apartment a dramatic touch, a feeling of warmth and a certain depth. Says Anju Lovekar, 8220; People tend to play safe, going in for creams and greys, but I feel its all a state of mind. The warmer colours when used judiciously can also lend an interior sophistication, without having a jarring effect.8221;

While designing the apartment, the duo thought of countless possibilities and emphasised the ethnic character, since it suited their personal tastes. The use of handcrafted wooden plates from Rajasthan are used as door handles, an old printing block holds the drop-down dining table, the bedroom has terracotta masks from Goa and a wrought-iron mirror.

The project proved to be an economical one. 8220;The entire project cost us around Rs two lakh and was completed within two months,8221; say the Lovekars. With this they have also proved that it is possible to have an ultra comfortable home in minimum space.