He is one truly eclectic architect. From the very contemporary Dadamiyan Mosque at Dariapur in Ahmedabad, and a modest bungalow for Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani at Gandhinagar to ‘doing heritage properties (for the Sayla and Wankaner royal families), and ‘creating heritage annexes to match existing properties (Balaram Resorts, Palanpur), Hiren Patel has been there and done it.

   Ahmedabad-based Hiren’s home is where all his ideas come to roost. Halfway through the construction of one of his designed projects, the Anuraag high-rise that overlooks the verdant Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Hiren and his dentist wife, Dina had decided to make one of the penthouses their own home. “The basic structure was already constructed, so I had to take it from there,” smiles the architect, who designed the interiors of this duplex home for his young family for four.

   For the apartment building, Hiren had designed large passages so that the entrance to each home would be private, marked by a faux patio complete with a wooden picket gate! The bungalow ‘look’ for his home was created by extending space through the prodigious use of glass indoors, ceiling-to-floor glass walls in the kitchen and the master bedroom and glass cabinets with glass shelves.

   Walking into the flat, one is struck by the airiness, the light streaming in and the wonderful treetops that seem to roll onto the horizon. It’s the glass that does the trick here if your home does command a wonderful view of the city, why must a wall block it?!

   The living room space is identified by the wood=tiled floor; seating a comfortable mix - a long Western-style sofa facing two Scandinavian wood and fibre chairs and a patla seating with a scattering of cushions resting against the exposed cement wall. An interesting stone-carved cube doubles as a seater and a table stand. The exposed cement wall sports a sculpture by Sharad Patel worked into it.

   Colourful durries spread across the flat add dimension to flat surfaces, skillfully reflecting the special textures on the walls created by natural materials like suthali (hemp string). A passage light focuses on travel souvenirs and treasured mementos arranged in a glass shelf alcove, taking your attention away from the service areas on the other side of the passage.

   The children’s room is strangely staid until you turn around to be pleasantly surprised by a tall deep alcove, reached by a little ladder and stuffed with toys, a favourite space for the couple’s seven-year-old daughter!

   Since bungalows supposedly have thicker internal walls they have inbuilt cupboards to provide ample storage space.

   The walls, therefore, appear nice and thick, creating roomy alcoves and cozy corners while yet avoiding the cluttered feel of a room full of cupboards. The flat has a relaxed, lived-in look but appears neat and tidy in spite of two very young children romping about.

   The state-of-the-art kitchen has the four-stove cooker standing bang in the middle. “The key is easy movement,” explains Dina. “Two people can easily work here without stepping on each others’ toes.” Storage space is tucked away in cabinets that imitate walls. And the cook can do her work gazing into the city outside, than with a grimy tiled dado for company!

   A wooden staircase, with geometrical tiles (the only obvious ostentation in the house) leads to the terrace rooms. An impish metal sculpture, ‘Boy with Kites’, by Ratilal Kansodaria, capturing the quintessential spirit of Ahmedabad, sits at the bottom of the staircase. Skylights emphasize an open-to-the-feeling. “We use this space for entertaining,” says Hiren. “I’m planning a small lotus pool outside since without some greenery, it looks rather drab.” Hiren is also designing “a modest library and a study for myself here, especially for those days, or rather nights, that I need to work at home.”

   This home is obviously still evolving. Their daughter is excited about her study, currently being fitted just outside the parents’ bedroom. “I have worked out a flexible design for my home,” explains Hiren. “And that, I think, is the most practical. It is convenient budget wise and helps you plan and enrich spaces that respond to your growing needs, instead of continuously adjusting your needs to fit the set, ready house.” That is after all the advantage of opting for the eclectic approach. It is a little easier when you are bending it like Beckham!

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