28/04/2026
Going through my archives and found myself pausing on these for a long time.
Adalaj ni Vav, Ahmedabad. A 15th century stepwell, five storeys deep, hand-carved from sandstone. Built to store water. Designed like a temple.
What I keep coming back to is the symmetry — and I don't mean that in a technical way. I mean the kind of symmetry that makes you go quiet. Every column has an answer. Every level is a conversation with the one above and below it. Stand at the right point and the whole structure frames itself, perfectly, like it knew you were looking.
Good design has always done this. It doesn't announce itself. It just holds you.
I got to visit this with my daughters, and watching them walk through it — necks craned, completely wordless — reminded me why I do what I do. Spaces shape us. They always have.
This was ancient India's design philosophy made real: that beauty and function were never opposites.
Something I carry into every home I create.
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