The Architecture of Quietude: Inside Studio Baariki’s Sama House

Ar. Subham Somani and Ar. Surabhi Bahety Somani

In an era where luxury often screams for attention through maximalist finishes and dramatic silhouettes, Sama House in Raipur offers a persuasive alternative. This 10,000-square-foot residence, designed by Studio Baariki, is a masterclass in the art of restraint. Here, grandeur is not a product of excess, but a result of lightness, proportion, and a obsessive attention to detail.

Led by Principal Architects Subham Somani and Surabhi Bahety Somani, the studio was tasked with creating a sanctuary for a close-knit, three-generational family. The brief was complex: the home needed to function seamlessly for both grandparents and children, age gracefully with low-maintenance materials, and open its heart to host frequent large-scale satsang gatherings.

Rationality as a Design Tool

The 6,300 sq.ft. site, abutting a public garden to the north, dictated a plan organized around light and flexibility. The architects structured the home across three longitudinal bays. This "rational spine" creates a clear hierarchy: services on one side, private bedrooms on the other, and a central, double-height social nucleus.

"This house reflects who we are as designers. It’s calm, thoughtful, timeless, and full of little details that reward you the more you look." - Studio Baariki

A Choreography of Light

The journey through Sama House begins with a sense of discovery. The entry foyer, punctuated by vertical slits, offers visitors cinematic peeks of the interior without revealing the full volume at once. To the right, the Pooja room rises as a pristine white sanctum within a double-height volume, edged by a shallow waterbody. Large louvres on the facade temper the Raipur sun, filtering light to create a space that transforms subtly through the day.

The social heart of the home is the central bay, where a strip of hardscaping guides visitors into the light-filled living area. Here, a sculptural curved staircase anchors the volume, widening at its base before gliding upward in a single, fluid movement. Rendered in white and articulated with brown tiles at the tread-riser junctions, it is animated by a clerestory window that washes the fluted wall surfaces in modulated light.

The Private Sanctuaries: Materiality and Vibe

In the bedrooms, the home’s overarching language of taupes, beiges, and "Baariki" browns takes on a more intimate, tailored expression. Each room is a study in how to balance a unified firm identity with individual personality.

• The Master Suite (Sophisticated Texture): This room leans into a vibe of mature elegance. A leather bed with gentle curves is paired with vertical fluting in the wall paneling, creating a rhythmic backdrop brought into focus by sleek pendant lights.

• The Parents’ Room (Ingenious Light): Located at the farthest corner of the home, this space turns a potential constraint into a feature. A glass-block skylight positioned over the bed draws in ethereal overhead light, which can be modulated as needed, maintaining a serene and private atmosphere.

• The Children’s Quarters (Playful Continuity): The design language becomes more rhythmic here. The daughter’s room features a "squiggled" headboard and custom wall paneling that opens onto a verdant balcony. In the son’s room, the neutral palette is punctuated by custom blues in the bed design and a playful suspended light fixture. The space is intelligently zoned with a "step-up" that separates the sleeping quadrant from the study area.

A Facade of Restraint

The exterior mirrors the interior’s logic, trading ostentation for architectural clarity. Deep overhangs protect the glazing from heat, while mild-steel louvres allow the home to receive controlled light. The home theatre is articulated as a solid mass, given texture through cast concrete vertical fluting. This interplay of solids, voids, and projections results in a composed, contemporary face that respects its context while asserting its own modern identity.

By setting aside the "loudness" of contemporary trends, Studio Baariki has delivered a home where longevity and the ability to hold both privacy and togetherness become the truest expressions of architectural intent.

Fact File:

Project Name: Sama House

Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Area: 10,000 Sq. Ft.

Completion Year: 2025

Design Firm: Studio Baariki

Lead Designers: Subham Somani and Surabhi Bahety Somani

Photography: Ekansh Goel

Styling: Alisha M Collaborators & Credits:

Tiles: Rathis Build Mart

Artificial Plants: Pollination