LOBO AND VECHAM RESIDENCE

LOCATION : JAYANAGAR 5TH STAGE , BANGALORE

PROJECT COMPLETION : 2026

In a leafy neighbourhood of Jayanagar, Bengaluru, family life unfolds across two floors of an older apartment building. When Jacqueline Lobo and Anand Vecham began looking for a home for themselves and their two young sons, they chose an apartment just one floor above their parents, a decision that quietly established the spirit of the home even before its design began.

The Lobo Vecham Residence is, at its heart, a home about closeness: between generations, between different faiths, and between memories carried from the past and the life being built in the present. Designed by Studio Anvaya, the 1,700 sq. ft., three bedroom apartment brings together the ease of contemporary living with the warmth and familiarity of tradition.

Set on the fifth floor, the apartment receives an abundance of natural light and ventilation. Its windows frame the surrounding greenery, allowing daylight, moving leaves and the changing moods of the day to become a gentle presence within the rooms. The design responds to this openness with an interior that feels warm and grounded, yet never visually heavy.

PHOTOGRAPHS : PARTH SWAMINATH

Beyond it, the living and dining spaces reveal a home shaped as much by movement as by appearance. A custom television unit anchors the living room, accompanied by two armchairs and a daybed. The unit also holds a particularly personal detail. As an interfaith couple, the homeowners did not require a conventional prayer room but wanted a place where a few idols and a cross could sit together. Integrated shelves allow these symbols of both faiths to coexist naturally within the everyday life of the family. The adjoining dining area was compact and positioned along the circulation path to two of the bedrooms. Instead of crowding it with a conventional freestanding arrangement, a dining bench and table were placed against the wall, preserving a clear and effortless passage around them.

The experience of the home begins before the front door. An otherwise overlooked external corridor was reimagined as an entry vestibule, creating a moment of pause between the shared building and the family’s private world. Kota stone underfoot, a screen of jaali bricks and a row of planters give this transitional space the shaded character of a small verandah. At its end, a double leaf entrance door with a grilled peephole offers the first suggestion of what lies beyond. It feels familiar in spirit, yet is interpreted through a contemporary lens.

Inside, the foyer unfolds against softly textured walls. An expansive console, custom designed to bring together storage, shoe cabinetry and an integrated planter, defines the space. Beside it, a repolished wooden column frames the passage into the rest of the home. Found by the clients during a trip to Sakleshpur, the column carries a memory of its own. Rather than being presented as an isolated artefact, it becomes part of the architecture, gently marking the transition between arrival and inhabitation.

A former mandir room adjoining the dining area was removed to give the shared spaces more breathing room and make way for a custom designed crockery and bar console. Overhead, a ceiling panel extends the home’s material palette upwards while allowing the fan to be repositioned directly above the dining table. Together, these interventions give the compact area a stronger sense of place without enclosing it, creating a relaxed setting for everyday meals and gatherings.

Light also informed the transformation of the kitchen. Its original two panel window, overlooking the entry vestibule, was widened across the available wall to draw more daylight into the space and establish a stronger visual connection with the entrance. Muted green PU painted base units are balanced by warm, wood toned laminate overhead cabinets. Together, the two finishes continue the home’s broader dialogue between colour and timber.

Throughout the apartment, the clients’ request for a modern home with touches of traditional character is answered without resorting to a prescribed style. The sense of familiarity emerges instead through material warmth, crafted details and pieces gathered during the family’s travels. The repolished column, a coffee table selected on one of their journeys and a collection of personal curios lend the rooms a character that feels collected rather than composed all at once.Each private room follows a different rhythm of family life. The guest bedroom is intentionally quiet, with muted colours and light drapes allowing the polished veneer to become the defining presence. A sofa cum bed enables the room to shift easily between guest accommodation and a home office when unoccupied.

The master bedroom, by contrast, is enveloped in warm wood tones and polished veneer. A half poster king bed from Tusker Katha rests against a wallpapered backdrop, bringing a sense of intimacy to the room. Generous storage and a separate study area accommodate the practicalities of daily life and provide a dedicated place for taking work calls.A partition crafted from solid wood, with rattan sandwiched between layers of glass, gently separates the sleeping area from the walk in wardrobe. While providing privacy when moving between the bathroom and wardrobe, its filtered transparency allows the two zones to remain visually connected.

Completed in June 2026, the Lobo Vecham Residence finds its identity not in a single dramatic gesture, but in the relationships it holds together. Contemporary living rests comfortably alongside traditional memory; two faiths share space without hierarchy; and three generations remain close while retaining homes of their own.Warm, personal and receptive to the life unfolding within it, the apartment is ultimately less about subscribing to a particular aesthetic than about creating a sense of belonging: a home grounded in the present, yet open to the memories still to be made.