THE JOURNAL
From the Studio — page 39
Local Guides
How HIDCO's Rajarhat Master Plan Actually Shapes What You Can Build
Before a single design line gets drawn, the zoning category, road hierarchy and plot history baked into HIDCO's master plan have already decided most of what your home can become.
Decision Guides
Rajarhat Plot Owners: Architect Firm or Freelancer? An Honest Comparison
Rajarhat plot owners comparing an architect firm to a freelancer: an honest, specific breakdown of cost, NKDA sanction risk, and why Studio Contour's 330+ project track record changes the math.
Practical Guides & Ideas
How to Reduce Noise Between Bedrooms Sharing a Wall in a Salt Lake Cooperative Flat
Hearing every word from the next flat through a shared bedroom wall is a Salt Lake cooperative housing reality, and it has a fix that does not touch the structure.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Split AC Condensate Drain Cleaning Schedule to Stop Ceiling Leaks in Kolkata
We set out the exact pre-summer and mid-monsoon drain cleaning interval that stops a clogged split AC line from turning into a stained, sagging false ceiling.
Hiring Guides
Choosing an Interior Firm for a Tollygunge Flat Renovation
Planning a flat renovation in Tollygunge? See why 330+ delivered buildings, KMC sanction expertise, and an honest 8-12 week process make Studio Contour the firm to hire.
Decision Guides
Architect or Interior Designer: Who to Hire First for Your New Town Home
Architect first or interior designer first for your New Town home? We break down NKDA sanction rules, real cost trade-offs, and why 330+ buildings taught us the sequence matters more than the labels.
Local Guides
What Modern Kolkata Homes Can Learn From the Traditional Courtyard Bungalow
Long before split ACs, the old Bengali bungalow solved heat and light with a central courtyard, and that same logic still has plenty to teach a New Town apartment.
Room Guides
Farmhouse-Style Dining Room Ideas for a Rajarhat Villa
We break down a reclaimed-wood farmhouse dining scheme, benches and an exposed-beam ceiling motif, sized for the larger footprint of a Rajarhat villa.
Local Guides
Designing Interiors for Bhowanipore and Jorabagan-Style Narrow Kolkata Flats
We tackle the long, narrow, low-light flats common across old South Kolkata pockets with layout and lighting fixes built for these homes, not for open Rajarhat floor plans.
Local Guides
Should You Restore or Replace Mosaic Flooring in Your Old Kolkata Home
We walk clients through this decision every few months, and the right answer depends on the floor's condition, your budget, and how much of the original character you want to keep.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Mirror Facing the Bed? Vastu Direction Fixes for New Town Master Bedrooms
In a New Town master bedroom with an attached bath, the dressing mirror almost always ends up facing the bed, and here is how we actually fix it.
Hiring Guides
Why Builders and Housing Societies in New Town Keep Bringing Studio Contour Back
New Town builders and housing societies keep rehiring Studio Contour, not out of loyalty but because 330+ local buildings mean faster NKDA sanctions and fewer costly redesigns.
Practical Guides & Ideas
How to Fix Damp Smell in Stilt Parking and Basement Storage Areas of a Kolkata Building
That musty smell hitting you at the stilt level isn't just bad luck, it's a water table and ventilation problem we can actually fix at the source.
Hiring Guides
Hiring an Interior Designer for an EM Bypass Highrise Apartment
Hiring an interior designer for an EM Bypass highrise apartment means navigating RWA rules, shared services and NKDA sanctioning. Here's how we actually do it.
Local Guides
Renovating a Heritage-Style House in South Kolkata Without Losing Its Character
We break down which pre-1960s South Kolkata elements, lime plaster, high ceilings, louvered windows, are worth saving, and where modern intervention actually helps.
Hiring Guides
How to Select an Interior Designer Anywhere in Kolkata: A City-Wide Guide
A concrete, no-fluff guide to choosing an interior designer anywhere in Kolkata: what to ask, which credentials matter, and why local sanction knowledge beats a pretty portfolio.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Material Choices for a North-Facing Living Room Fighting Damp and Low Light in Kolkata
A north-facing living room in Kolkata fights low light and lingering damp at once, and the right flooring and wall finish have to solve both problems together, not separately.
Local Guides
Renovating an Inherited Salt Lake Flat After Family Partition: Practical First Steps
We walk through the mutation, name transfer and sequencing questions siblings need to settle before design work starts on an inherited original-allotment flat.
Local Guides
Should Salt Lake Retirees Relocate to New Town? A Realistic Look at What Changes
We walk Salt Lake retirees through the real costs of moving to New Town versus renovating in place, from healthcare access to community ties and everyday walkability.
Hiring Guides
Hiring an Architect for a Heritage-Adjacent Plot Redevelopment in Salt Lake
Redeveloping an older plot near Salt Lake's heritage-character blocks needs an architect who knows Bidhannagar sanction rules and neighbourhood sensitivity, not just building codes. Here's how we approach it.
Practical Guides & Ideas
Kitchen Backsplash Materials That Handle Kolkata's Humidity and Cooking Oil Together
The backsplash question in a Kolkata kitchen is never just about looks, it is about a wall surviving mustard oil splatter and 80 percent humidity at once.
Local Guides
Terrace and False Ceiling Design for New Town's Solar Housing Complex Flats
Own a flat in New Town's solar housing blocks near Eco Park? Here is what you can actually change on the terrace and ceiling without touching the panels.
Local Guides
Common Area Renovation Disputes in Salt Lake Cooperative Societies: How to Avoid Them
The renovation that stalls a Salt Lake flat mid-project is rarely a design problem, it is almost always a shared wall or corridor change the managing committee never signed off on.
Local Guides
The Distinct Design Language of EE and GD Blocks: Salt Lake's Quieter Residential Pockets
EE and GD blocks sit a short drive from Salt Lake's busiest sectors yet feel like a different township, and their wider original plots open up design moves that denser blocks simply cannot.