It is a shared fact that twins are a meagre occurrence, however, identical ones are an even rarer happenstance, becoming muses for nifty narratives that often make us gasp during a climax. Using the hoax of swapping places, for reuniting their parents to misleading the crime squad in a thriller, these mirror images have often been flag bearers of utterly confusing the viewers. Correspondingly, in the pink gullies of Jaipur, a home’s nickname conveys a sense of déjà vu, staging a plot directed by Rajkumar Architects. This 16,798 sq. ft. luxe home affectionately monikered as Twin Residence co-stars characters from the bellowing, regal archives and a legacy of textile crafts.

“It is an all-time connected house, which has private space for both of them (the brothers),” confides Rajkumar Kumawat the principal architect of Rajkumar Architects.

FACT FILE

One Huge Happy Household

Customary to the Indian culture, “both the brothers used to stay together previously,” reasons the architect, insinuating the conventional joint family system. Gradually, as their families burgeoned, they reciprocally decreed on splitting with one condition “They wanted to feel like the houses are connected and they are living together,” Rajkumar reveals. Subsequently, two homes instigated an ardent relationship on a corner plot in the pink city- Jaipur. Overtly displaying their nouveau dalliance, with the façades working collectively, while an esoteric duet inward tells tales of two families. This façades’ coalition casts an illusion of a herculean assembly that exudes a sense of larger-than-life moments, as one strolls in the swanky neighbourhood.

“The challenge here was that there was a house built adjacent to the site, whose windows were already peeping into our site,” Rajkumar reveals a character's backstory- a green wall. This upright wall, embellished with greens, shields a courtyard that transpires as a Radcliffe Line cleaving the habitat into two. “Since we planned the courtyard here (in the epicenter), the whole home’s ventilation and light can be planned from the center,” Rajkumar explains. This triple-height, open-to-sky courtyard becomes a beam, with seating corralled by lush greenery gleaming under the ample light. Hiding in plain sight behind a gold-rimmed glass door is a celestial pooja space featuring a primeval white inner sanctum crafted from Banswara stone, sourced from the local mines. This space’s entry is through a gazebo donning a gable roof, that rids one of the exhausting apparitions of city life and its aftermaths. This gazebo sits on an azure throne, that susurrus the threnodies of tranquility simultaneously converting the waft into a cool gust, dictating the micro-climate of the home. “Through this gazebo, there was a visual connection, however, to foster privacy, a metal screen is provided,” Rajkumar points, to metal ligatures that frenziedly mimic a tree. He adds “Even though the temperature soars outside, here (in the courtyard), we can feel there is a temperature difference.”

Divided by Grids

The homes alter their design to be steadfast accomplices, converting to striking mirror images of each other, almost duping the visitors. To order the chaos, explains the architect, “(as a practice in the firm) before we start...we divide the site into nine grids. But in this case, since we were planning two sites,”. He adds “We first divided the whole plot into nine grids and then the individual homes.” Ensuing a Rubik’s cube, the grids allow the architect to collude with the spaces dividing the home into equal portions of capaciousness concocted with ritz and glitz.

For the twins, an entrance is carved out from the centre of the first grid, while a kitchen and drawing room sits on either side. A snug foyer with a variegated painting and gold console doused in plush accents leads to a burst of living spaces. An openable central portion, “is dedicated to a living and dining area in both houses,” justifies Rajkumar alluding to the prospect of ever so often uniting the two households. The living space emulates tints and prints acquired from Jaipur’s cultural heart, where royalty is a way of life and bold prints are an acquired taste. Further, the dining room with a marble table top and cushioned chair, is haloed by nostalgic phantoms from the past, courtesy of the larger-than-life family portraits concocting the wall of snaps.

A transit space lounges idly behind a blush and gold screen; while one dines with nostalgia and the other reclines on the couch tuning in on the gossip. “... The first floor in both the houses... have two bedrooms each. Out of which one is the master bedroom and the other is the kid’s bedroom,” Rajkumar reveals. Above a vibrant corridor leading to the bedrooms features a series of butterfly canvases glowing in the golden flecks of a tiered chandelier while illuminating the dining area. The warm realm of the sleeping chambers invites the residents with snug wooden flooring. The architect further justifies, “In this region, summers and winters reach extreme temperatures, due to the wooden flooring one can walk around barefoot.” In the master bedroom, “using metal, wood and glass and metal solid, we have created this metal screen,” explains the architects about the screen detaching the bed from a seating area. The bedrooms in both homes follow a pallid colour palette twining with each other whilst staying devoted to their nickname. Further, rebelling against the neutral palette, kids stipulated, “They wanted their individual areas in their unique colour tones,” Rajkumar discloses. Consequently, the kids' room borrowed tinctures, one from the blush gullies of Jaipur and the other from the boundless blue skies, metamorphosing into a vivacious realm.

United at the Top

Coveting the connection attained during their former lifetime and in the ethereal courtyard, the brothers frantically quest for a place to connect. In pursuing this connection, they contact a private lounge that establishes a connection with a “large combined connecting terrace... where a party can be hosted... and yoga can be practised together,” the architect explains. A pair of dispersed gazebos and a colossal convening space, convert the terrace into an escapism from the detached households. This scenic terrace converts into an oasis on a lazy Sunday afternoon, with the boundary wall vigilantly guarded by lush planters that sunbathe in the honey-dew warmth.

Inspired by Jaipur’s majestic palaces, its pink hues and an inherent connection with the alfresco, Twin Residence embodies the ethos of Indian familial culture. With distinct floor plates courtesy of the plot holding a mirror between the duo, this dwelling almost casts an illusion of a single household. This illusion turns to reality, at instants that collude to foster and grip the sacred link between the two brothers.

To watch the complete home tour, peruse the drawings in detail, and browse additional photographs, visit Buildofy. While there, don’t miss out on the other impressive contemporary homes in Rajasthan and across India.