The old meets new in Gowri Adappa’s Chennai Studio

Beautiful Homes (BH): What made you choose this space for your studio?

Gowri Adappa (GA): Ever since I was an architect, I wanted to start my own practice. And ever since I started my practice, I wanted my studio to be in an old home with a cafe and a store. The cafe and the store are yet to come, but the old home I managed to find.

After the pandemic, we were looking for a new studio space, and my business partner found this one. We loved it and the very next day we paid the deposit and started the work. Initially, we occupied the lower level, but eventually took the upper floor as well, and now the entire house is ours. We started with a team of five but have since grown to a team of 15, and we love this space.

BH: Tell us about the furniture…

GA: We have antique pieces and newly made pieces. This is an older home, but we didn't want to use only antique furniture since it would kind of be on-the-nose. We brought in a lot of modern pieces, some vintage pieces, and art. It’s an eclectic mix of old and new which is what we do in most of our projects as well.

BH: What does a typical day look like in the office?

GA: I think it starts off quite like a normal workplace. People come in, sit at their workstations, catch up on what happened the previous day. But I think there's a lot of team-building and team effort that goes in. My door’s almost always open, so people walk in and walk out with drawings and ideas. We all sit, brainstorm and hustle together.

Also, there’s no “typical” work day. That’s the main reason I got into architecture. I didn’t want a nine-to-five setup. We have team meetings, client meetings, site visits, sourcing trips. There’s a lot more travel involved now. Earlier I’d go alone, but now my team and I go to sites we have outside of Madras. Each day is different and that’s what’s exciting about this profession.

BH: How important is space to your wellbeing and productivity?

GA: I think space really engages you and changes your behaviour, so it's very important to start designing it with the right intent. With our clients, we understand their personality and bring that into the design. A space should be warm and inviting and you should just feel comfortable.