This family

By Ashna Lulla

Architect Mounika Kodali of Beyond Spaces Design Studio says scooping out a courtyard in this 2,750-square-foot apartment in Hyderabad embraced indoor-outdoor living, gathered light, and allowed for greenery, helping the space feel less like a traditional apartment and more like a courtyard villa.

A burst of colourful patterned tiles breaks up a grey granite courtyard.

The courtyard is a centrepiece of the design and is the heart of the home. It visually divides the apartment into two levels, with all the private and communal spaces overlooking this green pocket. Clad in brightly-coloured tiled flooring, complete with wooden benches and verdant planting, it is where the family, a young couple in their late 30s and their toddler, unwind most evenings.

The architect has positioned the courtyard to allow a clear sightline extending to the drawing and master bedrooms through the lush courtyard. The result is openness and visual transparency.

By Ashna Lulla

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Mounika crafts an elegant three-bedroom sanctuary, weaving earthy tones and warm character through the rustic natural materiality and colour palette deployed across the home. On the west side of the courtyard, you'll find the main living area and guest bedroom. The furniture choices in the living area exhibit a sense of restraint, with a preference for tan, cream, and brown hues throughout the house. These natural colours beautifully complement the surrounding greenery. The formal living features a tan-leather couch, plush armchairs and a convenient bench pouffe. The guest bedroom and courtyard can be accessed from the formal living, clad in varying shades of grey, continuing the muted palette across the home.

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Sliding wooden doors gracefully divide the living room and the serene garden area. The living area features artwork by Hyderabad-based artist Ananya Pendekanti.

Mounika has used levels to create subtle shifts between the formal and informal living areas.

A wooden bench was designed into a nook created by the steps and planter carved in natural stone.

Mounika positioned the master bed to overlook a large window opening into the courtyard. She combined a pale grey wallpaper with wooden panelling to accentuate the greens on the outside. She says her favourite detail in this apartment in Hyderabad was the courtyard, with big planter boxes, a long planter bed along the master bedroom window, and a wooden bench with metal supports. The flooring had colourful pattern tiles and a green lawn patch. Low-planted beds were placed near the dining area. “I paid attention to the materiality; floors and walls were clad in granite and pipelines in wood to blend in,” she explains.

Grey ceramic tiled flooring and fluted marble cladding from N’Fabustone create a muted backdrop accentuated by curated lounge furniture and vibrant art. A geometric patterned rug from Jaipur Rugs grounds the space. Mounika has decorated the informal TV Lounge with a steel blue couch from Quadro Living, armchairs, a marble-topped dining table from Elevate, and a round wooden coffee table from Dtale Modern.

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An island counter from Scasa separates the dining from the vanity area. A pale wallpaper from the House of Ikari creates a stunning backdrop upon which a round gold-rimmed mirror hangs. Gold-rimmed pendant lights from Luminary Studio hang above a marble-topped dining table and are paired with curved green-grey leather chairs from Elevate. Complementing the curved geometry are curved tan-leather barstools from Golden Triangle.

Large sliding windows were designed into the master suite to overlook the courtyard. A repetitive triangular grid wallpaper from House of Ikari in pale purple-grey forms a backdrop for Elevate's dark green-grey leather wingback bed. The suite is decorated with bedding and cushions from Sarita Handa.

On the east side of the courtyard, the expansive wooden sliding shutters lead to the informal living and dining areas. A soothing grey monotone palette infuses the informal space with a relaxed ambience, while a cosy steel blue couch invites you to sink in and unwind. Vibrant botanical art carrying the courtyard theme indoors injects personality and vibrancy into the muted palette.

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A bright teal custom-designed console breaks the all-grey monotony in the foyer of this apartment.

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Vibrant clay masks from Claymen hang in an interesting L-shaped fashion on the corner wall of the living area. The primary furniture is a tan-leather couch from Quadro Living and a large matte black coffee table. Abstract tropical art from Studio Artemist injects colour into the space.

A modular kitchen island from Scasa in a pale pink hue borrows off a delicate wallpaper with linework and motifs in grey from House of Ikari.

The informal living area leads into the children’s bedroom, decorated with whimsical wallpaper and a tiny study nook. The wet and dry areas of the kitchen were separated by a fluted glass door, allowing the dry kitchen and vanity area to become a backdrop for the dining area. A combined dry kitchen, dining and vanity take full advantage of natural light. Pastel hues, mostly borrowed from a delicate tropical wallpaper cladding the vanity, give the dining a soft, relaxed appeal. Mounika makes a case for indoor-outdoor living by cleverly including a courtyard space in a compact apartment.