Why Indian Homes Feel Smaller: Space, Furniture, Design & Planning | Sanjay Puri | FO459 Raj Shamani

36:08The bathroom size is bigger. The bathroom is bigger. That's true. Makes a lot of difference. It's a very small room like a big hole, but it looks like it's a much bigger room. It looks bigger room than my home room. It does. And same size. Interesting. You were mentioning, because we mentioned the parts that we mentioned in the context of the design. And the parts we mentioned that is related to contextual design. right what is contextual design contextual design is multiple things most important is the context to site and location okay sun direction wind direction and which side is a view obviously you want to give the best view whether apartment building or office building or private house you definitely want to give the best view possible so view is not in which direction in which direction is the best.

37:05So you orient towards that. But at the same time, you also have to see that avoid heat glare. Create protected outdoor areas. So all these factors reduce heat and it's all contextual to climate. So all this is contextual to climate. Then you have to do context to materials available near the side. So for example, I have been in the sandstone I don't build a building in Bombay. People are making it. But I will not make it. Because when they are transported to the king of the world, it is not a good thing to do. Because you have been wasted a lot of energy. A lot of carbon footprint increased. So you don't do that.

37:49But if I make it in the king of the world, I will not use any material. I will not use sandstone. Because there is sandstone 8 foot, 12 inch wide, dead inch thick stone is available at 800 rupees 800 rupees one slab like this it's so cheap so why will I not use stone I will use stone only and plus stone has so many advantages stone has no heating it reduces the heat locally available natural texture looks good transport less it's got a good so contextual design first is you look at site location climate second is sometimes you may have no material but generally in India you always have something that are locally if you have made in Goa, laterite is there everywhere, where will you use anything else you should use laterite but people usually have this fancy idea that I need like a stone house here in Mumbai so that is not the part of contextual design that is not part of contextual design which is locally available that's it okay that is the ideal thing and then is it also that as if we will make a house in Rajasthan or as if we will make a house in Delhi or in Mumbai or in Indore the fundamentals of making the fundamentals will be different is that it because the weather is different humidity is different Delhi में मुझे ठंड के लिए भी चाहिए घर गर्मी के लिए भी चाहिए बारिश के लिए भी चाहिए Bombay में मुझे बारिश और गर्मी के लिए चाहिए somewhere in the south probably मुझे 24 365 humidity के लिए ही चाहिए so shouldn't we make like different houses different ways of flats so planning in tropical climate by and large similar things work which means की orientation is pretty much the same in all full tropical from central India down to the south.

40:01I'm not counting north right now. If you do a courtyard it works in all places. If you do north orientation again it works in all places for energy efficiency. Material will change in each part. Now if you are building if you are building in Goa or Kerala there is a lot of rainfall. so sloping roof is ideal you should not make flat roofs but in Rajasthan for example you want a flat roof because there are lots of things that a household does also on a roof from making pickles to drying grains to everything so that flat roof is there but you should not do the same flat roof in Goa even though it may be a requirement for space because it's too much rain and the chances of leakage are very high if you do a flat roof so you do a sloping roof it's traditional that is the reason why people made but when people say to Rajasthan they say to me make a sloping roof why so that's not contextual to Rajasthan so why will you make it because if you get the best you get the best place you get the best place you can use it multiple ways so why will they make it like this sloping roof this is sloping roof so now when you are making it in Delhi anywhere Rajasthan and downwards Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, South India, Chennai the north orientation is 100 % correct because heat gain is low in Delhi what happens is north orientation is good in Delhi also but winter time sun goes in the northern hemisphere and in that time people want the sun they want the sun because it's cold you want to sit out in the sun so you need to have opening the north and south both equal but at the same time it needs to be flexible that when i want i can do something to shut this whether it's a sliding screen or a jali screen or multiple things or if nothing else and even a curtain is okay but i must have the option that when i sit in the north I can sit in South, I can sit in South.

42:20For Ahmedabad, you can't go in South, whether it's summer or winter or anything. But in Delhi, you want that I can sit in South too. Because it's cold. I want the sun. You said there's a sloping roof. Kashmir side, where there's rain, there's a sloping area in those areas too. But there's not a rain. Kashmir is very important because of snow. If it's flat, what's going on? If it's flat, snow collects on the roof and snow can keep piling up. And then you don't clean it, there's a lot of dead load. And because water is still there, the chance of leakage is very high. So you have to have sloping roof in Kashmir.

43:05And that's why all around Europe and US also there are these kind of doors. Yes. Where it's big. of it.

43:13How much snow is in the road? There are trucks to remove the snow. It is a big problem. But if it's a roof, it's just sliding off. Nothing to collect. Do you do residential projects? Lots. So what are the demands of people asking now? Where are? Because there was a point I remember a few years ago, at least I think up till COVID. Now I don't know. That people are very modern, minimalistic. That was a rage. US, UK, Japanese style we want the modern element in the house. Is it still the same? Is it more royal heritage? No, people come with all kinds of demands. Actually, there is no one trend. You cannot pinpoint this is that one trend.

43:56People come saying contemporary contemporary. This is the most commonly used word. Contemporary exact meaning. What does contemporary mean? Contemporary. Contemporary should be. what is contemporary so contemporary in the real sense means that what is happening so it's you do something that is simple and not too stylistic that is contemporary it's not this is the style of old time it's not some other style it is simple a style which will this house will look good after 20-30 years also it will still look good so that is one which people come with of course which is I want classical bungalow classical royal heritage some people come

44:54saying lot of glass but now finally also some people come saying that we want a sustainable house finally people are coming yes what type do you like personally royal heritage minimalistic no I think a house why are you making a house and not an apartment apartment is repetition of course everybody cannot afford to make an individual house but in the smaller cities you can so a house has to be an individual expression which means there should be no other house like that it's like that you have gone and bought the plot why because you want to make an individual house not to look at somebody else because it should be you so in some way you have to understand ki achha ye family hai kitnye logan is mein age groups kya hai so what you should be catering to thought process kya what is it that they like don't like abhi let's say ki koji bhot traditional type ka aadmi hai ya family hai you know very traditional methods and all unka apne poora ka poora kaanch ka dhar bana diya all glass glass glass opening everywhere those people will not be comfortable or it will take them 5 years to just get used to it so you have to understand that this type of family is so this is their mindset so we will do something interesting but not such something that will be comfortable for them comfortable for them mentally not physically physically it will happen but mentally they should feel they should not feel where I came from

46:36I'm not used to this. I want my touch and feel character or something. So it's that kind of thing. So understanding the psyche of the person, the kind of social habits, most important. Climate, very, very, very important. Orientation of the house, extremely important. You have done your own home, all south facing, for example. you have just unnecessary increased poor heat gain which means you can't step out of the house because you are facing the south you are not protected but suppose the same house you orient northwards sun is a tropical climate unless you are in the extreme north Jammu Kashmir that's different sun is always in the southern hemisphere that's all but it is still in the southern hemisphere so if my living room is facing north I can step out from my living room and the sun will still not hit me so I'm still in the shade so my house itself is giving shade for depending upon time of the day 10 feet, 12 feet, 6 feet 5 feet but some shade I'm getting always so I can step out of my house and I'm still okay but if the same house is facing south I cannot step out I cannot step out only so these are the things that you that you take care of in with every individual so you are like no particular design my thought is not it is individual expression in their own way yes now if the courtyard is possible or not how much plot size is sometimes it depends on plot size also if it is decent size plot so courtyard is a very very important thing for passive cooling because the house opens without building too much right but that is the main thing you have built let's say only 2000 square feet but you have built a courtyard of 1000 square feet which you have not really built anything but you have seen the whole every time you walk past so your house feels two times the size simply because of the courtyard that is one aspect second aspect is it increases cross ventilation third aspect courtyard will always be in shadow at some time of the day so you can always sit outside in protection and it improves the air circulation also because hot air is automatically removed going out why do you feel like because you're saying that have you have you noticed also actually that same size house America Europe they look big in India same size flat house it looks small in India people have a tendency to overcrowd the house that is the only reason so same size they will not give enough thought to the furniture size and they will put more Indians by virtue of being Indian and in their social habit thing store more starting from the kitchen itself which country other country in the world stores grains here people are actually storing grains for 6-6 months, 12-12 months okay, this time is coming now, take a whole year and keep it so, this is the problem storage, too much storage so the moment in any room this room you have added storage so 2 feet is gone 2 feet but the length is gone so your room became 20 % less straight away depending upon the room size 10 % to 20 % less it became because of the storage internationally they they don't keep so much storage there's less number of clothes also less number of kitchen things generally less amount of storage that's one of the biggest reasons you also see in the small flats just the thickness of their furniture is like much thinner furniture than India chair is very sleek table is very sleek and softy sofa is very wet at least in the small houses either we take a lot heavy the tendency to take heavy so the moment in the same room if you put slightly heavier furniture the whole room will look 30 % smaller than the same exact size of room with lighter looking furniture it's only looking in comfort there is no difference but lighter looking furniture do we like heavier looking or do we not know lighter looking I think people here like that it'll heavier look because they associate heavier with more rich look.

51:30Yeah, it's a wrong thing.

51:35Yeah, that's the thing. So they get lost in that. But sleek looks nice and looks amazing and it makes your room look big. That is the most important thing. So what's it going to happen that people will make a bed, they will make a store. So same bed with storage and same bed with four legs. Two dramatically different. What will be different? In the look, bedroom looks two-filled or bedroom looks half-filled. It will look big if it's a big bedroom. So if it's a light looking bed, same size of mattress. Okay, no comfort difference. Same size of bed also. But if there are legs in the bed and you can see the floor going in, automatically it looks lighter and the room looks bigger.

52:19the moment you have added your storage so the room will look smaller because the bed looks heavier I want to ask you very basic questions if an individual can better do this which things can do mistakes what they make what can they avoid all of that I'll ask you a bunch of very common questions layman which people have first is my own question which is why is it like that when you go to some places they feel much powerful and grander versus when you go to some places it doesn't feel it feels less even though size is the same in both places why few places feel like really really strong and there's multiple aspects so first is we are saying that in one place you are feeling grand as compared to same identical space where you don't feel grand.

53:18Now the grander feeling space can be more than the height. The view might be amazing that as you entered and you saw this amazing view so your eye goes to that your eye goes to the height because the volume is good and then the lighting and the material on the walls and the material and the furniture and the overall layout that again makes huge impact color scheme flooring wall finishes lighting the view and the volume each point makes a difference in the grandeur of a space what's the what's one principle or a framework that makes a place more powerful because I was reading somewhere ki I think minimal I forgot the word for it ki jitni zada minimize I don't know.

54:15Something which meant that in the whole space the less things will be better. Like powerful will be better. Is that some framework? No, it's not necessary. You can do power. Negative space, sorry. If you put any element in that room and if you put negative space in that element, so that particular feel gives you much more power or much more like luxury. object gets more emphasis now it's all grey for example and in one corner there is a yellow chair or a red chair or a blue chair or even a black chair it gets prominence but how will it get prominence also you have to throw that one little light on it so but then that's like a museum thing so that is a different kind of power okay but the rest of it is multiple factors you have to take in.

55:13There are multiple factors. Can somebody turn their house into making them more luxury? More luxury is always possible. No, I meant someone who has 2BHK. Now, I want to change their house in the little money, and I want to luxury it. The space is so much. I don't have a thousand square feet. So, first thing is की घर को थोड़ा सा जादा बड़ा कैसे दिखा है because that is a good feeling for you not just की जो आए उसको grandio लगे की मैं खुद यूज कर रहा हूं, मुझे जगा बड़ी लगनी चाहिए because I'll feel better so it is की window end to end है या नहीं है और अगर end to end नहीं है, क्या मैं कर सकता हूं without any problem with the society that's number one question so window size very important ideal window end to end number one number two is you can always reduce the height of a wall you can put some glass on top on top previously maintain home but visually visually i can travel little more space always looks larger even if you cannot see the next space fully but you get the idea that there is more space beyond interesting the space looks larger then is the what you are putting in that space so how you put the furniture they try to put too many things then you have to walk around one thing to go to the next part the moment you are increasing the length of your walking distance or your circulation within your house, you are giving the feeling of cramped without trying to do it.

57:07By mistake, you have done it, but you have done it. So, circulation pattern, you should see that it should function. I have to cross this room and go to the kitchen. So, circulation should be free. And as much if i have to put furniture after that circulation i will arrange the furniture so it becomes larger when furniture has a choice so make furniture take furniture that is lighter it is not that lighter furniture is less comfortable it is equally comfortable depending upon the design of course but when you have to put heavy furniture then the room is small lighter furniture room lighter and bigger that is four and then is the color scheme lighter colors always generally room and a deeper darker color always makes it look a little small but at the same time it also gives coziness factor so it depends what you want to do you just want to make it look large or you want to give it a very cozy impact then you use a deeper color that is and then is lighting but then lighting comes more into effect in the night so lighting is also very important you know this is true I feel much more cozier in my new new house than my before and my first room and now there is a 4x difference in size like on space wise square feet wise it's a 4x difference still because that old I don't know the whole house was white and nothing.

58:46It felt much more bigger. To me, just the room. I'm not talking about house because house is definitely a different space. But that room was bigger than me. And now my area is dark. There are elements dark. Everything is black. Everything is black. And I feel more cozier. And it's very big. It feels like it's very cozy. But it feels darker and smaller. And I feel like this is so cute. even though the size is completely different. It does. Like just looking at the wall, I feel like it's a little bit of a mess when I can't sit in the room. So, color also plays an important role. Then lighting also plays an important role.

59:27Now, in one room, let's say you just flat light the whole light. Put bright light everywhere. As compared to that same room, you just light up that corner, this corner, one element here, one little over the dining table, that room will suddenly feel that there is a lot of places. Meaning, there is also something, there is also something. It gives you that thing without thinking about it. It's an automatic convenience. It's not like somebody has to tell you something. You enter the room, you'll feel that there are many places. There is a lot of places. As compared to a fully lit room. So, a lot depends.

1:00:06Tell me, if someone has their own house only with lighting, not the budget 10 % of money, only with lighting to grow your house. So what should we do? Then we should accent lighting not general lighting. See, but general lighting also needs to be. Now there are. In people's house, there's general lighting. What can we do? General lighting, you keep a switch but do accent lighting that this is a light in the corner. Maybe that it's ceiling from hang. in the other corner maybe there is a floor lamp and table on the table a small lamp simple simple things meaning there is no cost the point is 4-5 places light sources which are soft lighting and then the big light you put it off full experience of the room change at almost no cost I saw this in Airbnb when I was traveling out and I was here in my house so what I did 2 BHK first and I wanted to feel more like good feel good feeling after going home and I did some what you said so I went to Ikea 4 lamps from Ikea that 800 ,000 rupiah and now lighters so two big ones and two small ones they kept in different places and they put lights put it like this, twist dim a little and then all of a sudden that big house was in white light because there were like two small lights somewhere that it was on a sofa and on a dining table and then it was on a sofa plus it's a cozier feel, much cozier soft lighting makes a lot of difference very much, but warm white lights or is there some other color which you think is great, warm white is good and 3000 Kelvin.

1:02:09So Kelvin is a measurement of the light. That I got but how does the color see? It's close to daylight. Okay. So that is the best light. Daylight is the most natural light because that's daylight. So the light that mimics daylight is 3000 Kelvin. So that's. You saw that sunroof thing which is becoming very popular now. The glass one.

1:02:40that's a very good thing especially in let's say now flat already in which there is no light in the bathroom or in the kitchen you put one of those and at least it will look like there is a natural skylight do you think it will become a trend but it's very expensive as of now it's very expensive but what happens with every new product when it comes to the market it is expensive and then after a while then it will become cheaper do you think it will become a thing I don't know if it will become a thing but it is a very good thing for places to solve a problem immediately why is it dark? because now someone has made a plan it has been done there is no light in the kitchen what can I do I don't have a new house I mean, what do I do?

1:03:37Yeah So if I put this light It's problem solved Just purely the light ring Talk about kitchen How does it look like in India? Do you think open kitchen works in India? No, not at all So everyone thinks it's open kitchen It's cooler, it's sexier It just looks cooler on plan And space-wise also It looks a little bigger from the house But Indian General traditional Indian cooking with all the masala with all the everything there is too much smell that smell goes in the whole house it is not a good idea in India to have an open kitchen unless you are doing very limited meals you are cooking yourself let's say bachelor let's say just young couple married and they believe in doing you know simple easy stuff it's okay but general Indian cooking open kitchen is not a good idea it's not a good idea because we are so much broken we are in the whole house exactly that's right pressure cooker broken masala smell it's also very noisy right very noisy cooking is very noisy yes because in our plates cut pressure cook there are a lot of stuff there are a lot of noise somebody asked me that middle class house there are a lot of noise and luxury houses in luxury houses noise not hoti hai even though when they do nothing do you think that's true no it's not true no ki there is something kyunki luxury house may be the house is larger though the sound a little spread spread here and there so it's not coming together that much just say it would come in a smaller house but do you think noise and silence give perception of luxury yes I think so it is a fact that the more you stay if you walk into some place which is calming it immediately makes you feel so most importantly what happens you feel peace so another thing which I want to know which is friction points and focal points when you enter a house when you enter a focal point it becomes a focal point it becomes a living room or a small temple do you think people design their houses with focal point in their mind

1:06:08see a focal point according to me is the view outside

1:06:15and let's say a view is not a view obviously everyone is not a view but if there's a small balcony and a balcony is full of green plants then that's a good focal point and if view is not there all that is not there then maybe some beautiful piece of art something those kind of a focal point is nice but then it's not necessary okay not necessary it's not a thing to keep in mind to build up no okay I'll ask you last section which is mistakes that people make a house what do they do so tell me the most basic mistake which people make only aesthetically pleasing for people who are doing and are doing a big mistake.

1:07:03So biggest mistake people make is trying to put too many things into a space. That is the biggest mistake. Anything else which you feel is very It means that it's a lot of a lot of room. And also that you can use a lot of materials. Always keep it simple. One, two materials throughout the house. People say, you can't imagine that a small house is a house. Living room, we will have a different floor, this bedroom, that bedroom, then the bathroom floor will be different. combination so in a 900 1100 square foot of a house you can use 5 materials for the floor how can look at the it's not possible flow always 1 so it feels uninterrupted uninterrupted means large ocean is uninterrupted whenever you look at it it feels large if the ocean was like I see blue here and green there and yellow there and blue there how will it look large?

1:08:14It will not look large. So, same house not going to look large. It has to have one material, one palette. Keep it one kind. Every bedroom, hallway, sub. Ideally, yes. At the max one, okay, fine, one last bedroom, you change the floor a little bit. But, in general, I am saying that if you have to see a small house, if you have to see a big house, so, floor should be one. And, in general, the wall colors and also should be one. It makes the house look larger. And lighter colors on the floor or darker? Lighter is always better. So white type is much better. White, beige, mushroom, light grey. I know it's very common but these are the colors that are they make a place look larger.

1:09:01There's an obsession of marble also in India. Is it in Bombay that obsession? In all parts. Is it good? Marble flooring, marble slabs. of kitchen. Marble is very good because see marble may the joints come very very perfect of course depending ki karigari bhi achi honi chahi hai by the contracting team and marble after 3-4 years again looks brand new again after 3-4 years you can polish it you can keep repolishing it so from that point of view marble is a very good material but that said there are very very good tiles being made in India large format small format to large format depending on your budget your sky is the limit color texture dots lines plane all kinds available very very easy to put easy to procure and look pretty good pretty good okay pretty good so agar chhote ghar ko bada dikhan hai first is lighting second is single color third is lighter color fourth is one specific flooring one material one flooring completely or windows as large as possible fifth is windows large as large as possible if you have bought a new flat end or this thing then you will not be able to change the windows but mostly people are giving large windows so that way you are safe and then the sixth which you also said that all the material furniture and other things that you put in your house then you make it sleeker lighter and less storage do not change wall colors many people do this so the wall is finished and you put it on the wall or this on it or that on it or color change or tile and marble on a wall don't do it Keep the walls one.

1:11:04Because it is one canvas always looks larger. The moment you do something else, it breaks it. If your room is very large, there's no problem. I'm only saying that you should not do it in small houses. It doesn't matter. And in the bathroom, people make the same mistake? In the bathroom, people make the same mistake of trying to use minimum three to four materials. Not tiles. Don't use. Then we'll make a niche and we'll make a niche. we don't forget that we will also be a color so there are too many keep it neutral and people are obsessed with one wall texture or they do the whole texture or one wall so that's why I'm saying in large space it is okay you should have accent walls but in small space it is better not to have accent but then how do you take a differentiation if the whole house is showing white and big, leave it alone?

1:12:05You can't do that, right? It will be furniture style, it will be a color in the upholstery, some art or something. One or two good elements you can always do. That's it. In the corner, one corner, maybe center table, maybe one corner light, maybe one artwork, if you want to show big things from that point of view interesting so I don't put more material in the house that's the simplest thing then air ventilation then greenery and if there's no scope in the house then how can I do it because let's say I bought a house and now that flat has given the builder one way is that I'm sustainable will living which promote builders take home that is one way of doing things other is I have taken it and already in a flat

1:13:10where can I add greenery where can I create more air ventilation or something that makes my living better is there possibility or not so if the window is not big and you have the chance to make the big window then that is the first thing you do. Give the window to the devil. Yes, of course. Let's say that there is no possibility. And do not make an open kitchen but between the kitchen and the living room you can put glass in some portion. So, the visual size increases. At the same time, let's say if you have a light in some room, one room's light goes to the other room. That's also there.

1:14:01greenery now then the only way to add it is by putting a plant in a corner if you don't have a balcony then that's the only way you add but that green adds a lot so you should put it even though there are indoor plants which have very less water they don't require so much maintenance you must have some greenery it brings warmth it brings nature nature has a soothing thing whether you realize or not see it's a simple thing when you see your vision as to and people have done these studies so it's not human being sitting in a room okay everybody sitting in a room they are monitoring how your brain is reacting you are shown images of the road with vehicles cars people honking, noise, noise.

1:14:57So the brain is not reacting so well. Then suddenly that goes off. And you see greenery. The mind comes. It's been measured. So this is human study done and proved. There's just water flowing. Again, the mind is down. So it's the same thing. You put green whether you realize or you don't realize, it is coming to your senses. and nakli plant well if if you don't want that little bit maintenance issue and anything put nakli which looks as good as the real thing but it should not look plastic but real is real well thank you so much sir thank you for spending time with us you're the man nice to meet you how are you please have a seat

1:15:57How many people should have in a office in a space? Is there any rule or thumb? So, like a decent thing is 100 square feet per person.

1:16:07What's it called? Those, what are they called? Call centers are 40 to 50 square feet per person. So, that's the minimum and 100 is the comfort. Anywhere in between. Thank you so much for watching this episode until the end. Now, I have to do three things. First of all, subscribe to this channel. because as much as you subscribe, we will get better and valuable guests for you. Number two, tell me in comments, what did you feel good and bad about you, so that we can repeat those mistakes. And which guests you want to see in our podcast, so that we can take them and give you more value. And number three, you have to share this episode with someone else, because one conversation can change someone's life.

1:16:50I'll see you next time, until then keep figuring out. Thank you.