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Pleasing The
Missus
The
Conception
The story of Dent Inn should begin even before its
design, which is with its conception. While we (my
wife, a dentist, and I) were thinking about starting
a dental clinic, we wanted something different. As
my wife put it, “I want something like a restaurant
where one would love to spend time, and not a smelly
hospital environment. If possible, I would also like
to have a small art gallery in the clinic for my
patients.” I would have loved to say “granted” but
it probably was not that easy.
The Hunt for the Place
Getting a suitabl space in Kathmandu which could be
converted into something that would do justice to my
plans was difficult. After almost two months of
searching we finally got a place – an empty
apartment in the top floor of Heritage Plaza II,
Kamaladi. Even though we were told that that
apartment was not right for commercial use, the
inquisitive architect in me was curious to find out
what it was like.
The Challenges
The first thing I noticed was the oddly placed main
entrance bumped directly to the wall, to the left of
which was the marbled stair. The stair led to the
parqueted lower floor of around 580 sq ft. It was
used as an open living room, dining area and tiled
kitchen painted in dull beige and mood lighted, it
was too dimly lit for a clinic. Additionally, with
windows only in the north and west, it allowed only
awkward natural lighting. The beams were running all
around in non-uniform grids.
The upper floor was linked with an internal stair
well which was very dark. I still remember my wife
saying, “I hate this part. I need this to be nice as
this will be the one eading to my clinical room.”
The ugliest part was the 14 inches of beam
protruding out of the stair wall at shoulder height
causing every passer by to bump into it. Much safer
but looking equally ugly was the lower stair. The
upper floor was divided into two bedrooms, one large
(400 sq ft) and the other moderately sized (180 sq
ft). Both the rooms had low sloped ceilings as in
the buigal of old Newari houses. The lighting was
from small triangular windows and other small
windows at skirting height. The floors were carpeted
but dull looking.
As one of our colleagues remarked, “It’s a nice
place but I do not know how you are going to use it
for a clinic.” However, the design was slowly
evolving in my mind. I was already beginning to
fantasize.
Designer and Client
The next two months were quite interesting for me as
a designer. In a way, getting my wife as a client
was very different. We could agree/disagree and be
very open on each and every idea. My idea of a
perfect client was coming to reality. She would
express all her ideas and wishes and try to
understand the design. At times she would leave it
completely up to me with trust, especially when she
could not visualize.
The
Design
Although many would not have considered it a right
place for a clinic, the space appealed very much to
me. It had the potential to turn into a subtle and
relaxing space that it is now. I knew I would love
designing it. The final product goes like this.
Immediately after you enter into the clinic you are
greeted by a subdued purple wall. On climbing the
stairs on the left you slowly start to see the total
gypsum wall layered in purple, yellow and white.
Inspired by the layering of hills, these layers are
separated by curves and diffused hidden lights. This
wall, while it seems decorative, was done primarily
to hide the beam that protruded from the wall
towards the stairs. It was also done to generate
interest as one climbed up the oddly placed stairs
immediately after the entrance. The upper part of
the wall acts as the first series of the Gallery.
The purple and white walls are adorned with exhibits
from talented artists from time to time. Coming up
the stairs, one is welcomed into a parqueted
reception and waiting lounge. Coloured mostly in
white, it faces the purple wall with the exhibits
which the visitors can enjoy while waiting for the
doctor. This wall and the diffused lights in it give
subtlety to the whole environment of the waiting
lounge. Sublime colors like white, yellow and purple
were used to give the room a very light feeling and
not intensify the pain that they might already be
feeling due to their dental urnished with improvised
old furniture we got from the house owner. The old
and damaged furniture were topped with frosted glass
to give it a new look to go with the whole
environment. The unwanted west light is blocked by a
locally made bamboo and weaves curtain from Kala
Mandir at Kupondol. These curtains also act as a
background for different exhibits during
exhibitions. The artificial lighting at night time
is done by spotlights and energy saving fluorescents
creating different shades of warm yellow and
white.Non-uniform beam grids are covered with false
ceiling at points to generate a more interesting
pattern and help in the lighting and aiting lounge
is the reception. Separated by around a two feet
wide low ceiling and an improvised kitchen counter
(now a reception desk), the reception, painted in
yellow and white, is an open affair. The white wall
also the Dent Inn logo – a glass etched emblem on
textured Nepali paper.
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