The Dark Roast:
A Story Brewed in Space

From Scratch is a story of transformation — of a 980 sq. ft. Ahmedabad apartment frozen in time for over 15 years. When we met the mother-daughter duo behind this home, they were ready to begin again. The space, weighed down by decay, fixed furniture, and years of neglect, revealed unsettling surprises: corroded RCC rods, hidden beams, and signs of structural fatigue that made the home nearly uninhabitable.

As demolition began, a cascade of issues followed — persistent leakages, concealed flaws, and the unrelenting monsoons that tested both patience and resolve. The building’s fragility demanded a new approach: slow, careful, and intuitive. We found ourselves doing far more than the initial scope, guided by trust and necessity.

This project was about more than redesign. It was about resilience — of a structure, and of the women reclaiming it. Every civil decision was made with sensitivity to the building’s integrity and to the lives it holds. The process was humbling, overwhelming, and deeply enriching.

Completed in July 2023, the home stands today as a quiet celebration of starting over — proof that from the most unexpected corners, beauty and strength can be rebuilt.