Blurring Boundaries is a contextual architecture and interior design studio, engaged in creating sustainable and appropriate design solutions. It is based in Mumbai and Wada, spearheaded by founders Prashant Dupare and Shriya Parasrampuria.

Belief

Our practice is artisanal, innovative, experimental and collaborative with a staunch belief in ‘glocal’ and sustainable practices. It focuses on small details along with the larger perspective and works on all aspects in detail.

We believe that design can transform us and must be used sensibly and sustainability is beneficial in the larger scheme of things. We try to use locally available materials but experimenting and reinterpreting them, leading to unique contemporary designs. We attempt to practice an architecture where there is a seamless transition between the physical, psychological, social and cultural elements of space. Biophilic architecture design principles are often used for seamless integration of built spaces with surroundings. It embraces the contrasts in human nature, behaviours and social practices and translates the contrast into design and physical spaces, hence the name Blurring Boundaries.

Philosophy

We are a young innovative practice with a touch of whimsy and play and yet highly aware of our responsibilities as designers and orchestrators of space. Our firm philosophy is to embrace the elements of design, material and technology and blur them together, so as to integrate architecture as a seamless part of the user’s life. 

Each project presents new challenges and opportunities so each solution is a story of exploring contextual situations. Every site presents a new facet in terms of location, climate, material, labor and finance and a contextual response goes a long way to ensuring that many non-issues do not develop on site or in the design. Addressing the conceptual idea at ideation level helps in resolving the larger issues in the framework of design. The final outcome is the result of a rigorous design process which responds to user's needs with respect to all these aspects. We understand the thought process of the user, the larger goal and needs of the project, the lifestyle and cycle of the project before starting the process of designing the project. The design solutions are given intricate thought to understand the best fit for the project and are individual expressions for a project.

Approach

We focus on more ecological practices and sustainable thinking in design where we look at the potential health benefits and ecological impact of greener design solutions and encourage the idea of embracing better environmental practices. We feel it is crucial to not isolate an individual from their surroundings and highlight their connection to the natural environment, providing biophilic architecture designs.

An experimental approach to the project ensures that the user needs are met innovatively. We see innovation in smaller everyday life and question standard practices in design and construction. We believe design is fun-n-play and need not be serious all the time. Collaboration with like-minded people and shared knowledge and learning opens up newer avenues of discovery and design.