THE JOURNAL
From the Studio — page 11
Hiring Guides
What to Look for in an Architecture Firm in Kolkata
How to choose an architecture firm in Kolkata: what to check on NKDA, KMC and Bidhannagar sanction experience, drawing sets, fees and site supervision before you sign.
Building Guidelines
Which Drawings Does NKDA Actually Want? A Document Checklist for New Town
A New Town homeowner's plain-English breakdown of exactly which documents NKDA wants for building plan sanction, why applications get rejected, and how to avoid the repeat trips.
Room Guides
Full-Height Backsplash Ideas for New Town Apartment Kitchens
Full-height backsplash ideas for New Town apartment kitchens: materials, layout, lighting, and maintenance that actually hold up to Kolkata's humidity and cooking habits.
Hiring Guides
How Many Architects Should You Shortlist Before Deciding in New Town?
How many architects should you shortlist before deciding in New Town? Studio Contour's principal architect Sumana Kumar explains the number, the questions and the sequence.
Room Guides
Ivory Kitchen Cabinets: India's Safest Neutral, Explained
A working guide to ivory kitchen cabinets in India: undertones, plywood vs finish choices, layouts, hardware, real cost bands, and where ivory kitchens go wrong.
Room Guides
Kitchen Colour Combinations That Suit Salt Lake's Compact Flats
Kitchen colour combinations that suit Salt Lake's compact flats: undertones, cabinetry, and layouts that work with low daylight and tight cooperative-block footprints.
Room Guides
Kitchen Storage Ideas for Salt Lake's Older Apartment Kitchens
Kitchen storage ideas for Salt Lake's older apartment kitchens: vertical units, corner solutions, humidity-safe materials, and what a real renovation with Studio Contour looks like.
Room Guides
New Town High-Rise Kitchens: Designing Around Fixed Duct and Shaft Positions
Fixed ducts and shafts shape every New Town high-rise kitchen. Here's how we design around them without losing the work triangle, storage, or a functioning layout.
Room Guides
Salt Lake Co-operative Flat Kitchens: Working Within Old Structural Grids
Salt Lake co-operative flat kitchens fight old structural grids at every turn. Here's how Studio Contour plans layouts, materials, and timelines around fixed columns and beams.
Hiring Guides
Studio Contour Answers: How Do I Check if My Architect Can Handle NKDA Work?
Studio Contour breaks down exactly how a New Town plot owner can verify an architect's real NKDA sanction experience, with a working checklist, a worked example, and common sub-cases.
Hiring Guides
Studio Contour Answers: How Long Does an Architect Take for NKDA Drawings?
Studio Contour breaks down the real NKDA drawing and sanction timeline for New Town plot owners, with a worked corner-plot example, delay causes, and a document checklist.
Hiring Guides
Studio Contour Answers: Is an Architect Required for NKDA Sanction?
Studio Contour answers a question every New Town plot owner asks eventually: is an architect legally required for NKDA sanction, and what really goes wrong when a family tries to skip one.
Room Guides
Wet and Dry Kitchen Ideas for New Town Apartments
Wet and dry kitchen ideas for New Town apartments: layout, waterproofing, ventilation, and material choices built for Kolkata's monsoon and local flat stock.
Cost Guides
What a Kolkata Architect's Fee Proposal Should Itemise
What a Kolkata architect's fee proposal should itemise: stage-wise deliverables, working drawings, NKDA and KMC sanction scope, site visits and the exclusions that cause disputes.
Design Inspiration
Where to Store Your Furniture During a Salt Lake Flat Renovation
Where Salt Lake flat owners should actually store furniture during a renovation, real options ranked by cost and risk, and how Studio Contour sequences projects to avoid the storage scramble.
Room Guides
Why New Town Kitchens Need Different Ventilation Planning to Central Kolkata
New Town kitchens face different heat, humidity, and high-rise airflow challenges than central Kolkata. Here's how Studio Contour plans ventilation that actually works.
Local Guides
Eco Park-Inspired Landscape Ideas for New Town Homes
Eco Park-inspired landscape ideas for New Town homes: native planting, water-wise design, shaded courtyards and setback greening, from the studio that has designed 330+ New Town and Salt Lake buildings.
Room Guides
Galley Kitchen Design Ideas for Narrow Apartment Kitchens
Galley kitchen design ideas for narrow Kolkata apartments: layouts, colours, materials, storage, lighting, and real cost bands from Studio Contour, est. 2014.
Room Guides
Grey and White Kitchen Combinations: 15 Ways to Style Them
A working guide to grey and white kitchen combinations for Kolkata homes: undertones, materials, 15 style variants, layout and budget, from Studio Contour, New Town.
Room Guides
Kitchen-Cum-Dining Layouts for New Town's Compact Two-Bedroom Homes
A New Town, Kolkata studio's practical guide to planning kitchen-cum-dining layouts in compact two-bedroom flats, covering work-triangle sizing, ventilation, materials, storage, and Vastu.
Room Guides
Kitchen Storage Ideas for Compact New Town Apartment Kitchens
Practical kitchen storage ideas for compact New Town, Kolkata apartments, from work-triangle layouts to monsoon-proof materials, with real timelines from 330+ homes delivered.
Room Guides
L-Shaped Modular Kitchen Designs: 20 Layouts That Work in Indian Homes
L-shaped modular kitchen designs for Indian homes: 20 layout variants, colours, materials and price bands from Studio Contour, architects across Kolkata and West Bengal.
Room Guides
Modular Kitchen Layout Options in New Town's Standard Tower Floor Plans
A practical, New Town-specific breakdown of modular kitchen layout options inside standard tower floor plans, from galley and L-shape footprints to Vastu, materials, and process.
Room Guides
Narrow Kitchen Solutions for Salt Lake's Older Apartment Blocks
Practical fixes for narrow galley kitchens in Salt Lake's older cooperative blocks: layout, storage, humidity-proof materials, and what to check before renovating.