Vidhu and Deepthi's flat. Photo: HarikrishnanJust as how music is to dance, this flat shares a unique chemistry with its owners. Every inch of this home seems to have been designed with the star couple in mind. This is truly a space that was ‘made for us,’ says singer Vidhu Prathap and his wife Deepthi Vidhu Prathap. Their brand new flat is situated on the 7th floor of Artech Kalyani Apartments in Vazhuthacadu, Thiruvananthapuram.
Vidhu, always wanted a house at the Centre of a place buzzing with activity at all times. He prefers to be surrounded by sounds and people. Even at his ancestral home in Kaithamukku, the TV or the radio is switched on most of the time. Vidhu had dreamt of a home that is set right at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city, where there is no dearth of sound or action.
When he saw the advertisement of the new Artech project that was coming up opposite to the Trivandrum Club and near the Tagore Theatre, Vidhu felt that it would be nice to own one of those apartments. But soon he was busy with a large number of pogrammes as well as overseas shows, and had thus, forgotten about this. It was during a friendly meeting between Vidhu’s father and the Artech MD that the flat had become a dream-come-true.
The added bonus was that they were allowed to make any changes they want to the structure and layout. Vidhu and Deepthi were sure that they wanted contemporary interiors for the 2200 sq. ft, 3BHK flat. Deepthi herself zeroed in on an interior designer who could put to form all of her little and big ideas for their home.
Bengaluru based Deepa Prasad was the interior designer of the flat. She was very particular that the flat should reflect the owners’ personalities, likes and preferences.
“All designers want their final product to look pretty like a photo frame. Most often they don’t think much about how ‘liveable’ their designs are, how easy it is to use and to maintain or other practical difficulties. So much thought should actually go into this. It could be big or even minor things like where to keep the broom after using it or where the place to hang the floor cloth should be and so on. Deepa had a solution for every little need around the house.” Deepthi gives full credit to the designer Deepa.
The bedroom with photographs. Photo: HarikrishnanWooden flooring for all the common areas, a breakfast counter in the kitchen, a TV unit in the bedroom, and lights that come on with a single switch; these were some of demands that Vidhu had. For every other ‘big’ little thing, Deepa and Deepthi put their heads together to come up with ideas.
As per the earlier layout, the main door was set facing the door of the servant’s room. A separate partition wall was built in this place. A beautiful Vigneshwara painting drawn by Vidhu’s mother adorns this partition wall. The entry to the servants room is now only through the kitchen. The space allotted for the utility area in the kitchen was reduced and the kitchen was made bigger.
The dining room. Photo: HarikrishnanThe kitchen follows a semi-island style structure with a breakfast counter just like Vidhu wanted. As many people visit the couple on a regular basis, a formal living area was a must. A wooden partition that comes in between the foyer and the family living area made this possible. On one side of the partition, there is a special mirror art work and on the other side, an achievement shelf that showcases Vidhu's and Deepthi’s accolades.
The kitchen. Photo: HarikrishnanThere used to be a single door that opens out into the balcony adjacent to the family living area. This wall and door were removed and in its place a glass sliding door was placed. This gives the room a more spacious feel. In front of the air conditioner in the balcony, a multi-wood Jali work and a small decorative garden adds a lovely charm.
The balcony. Photo: HarikrishnanPhotos that capture special moments, right from their childhood, imparts a personal flavour to every room. There is an exclusive selfie wall with cool selfie pics and even a wedding wall. They feel these photos fill the house with warm memories and precious stories.
The only traditional area is the puja space near the dining room. The combination of wood and glass for the partition does add a contemporary touch though. The first plan was,to add plain glass, but this had the disadvantage of clearly showing hand prints every time it is touched. Glass with etched design seemed to be a better alternative and easier to maintain.
Now, each time the organisers of shows, from the Tagore Theatre or the Kanakkaunnu Palace, request them to perform, Vidhu and Deepthi say: Just give us a missed call once the programme begins, we are only a walk away!!
