Set on a much-loved, park-facing plot in Delhi’s Defence Colony, House by the Park began with a simple yet layered brief. The clients — a close-knit family — approached Aman Issar of UnBox with a desire to rebuild their home. They were wary of the typical builder-floor model that dominates Delhi’s redevelopment landscape, and instead wanted a house that reflected who they were — warm, connected, and deeply personal.

“They didn’t want a generic luxury floor,” recalls Aman Issar, Principal Architect at UnBox. “They wanted a home that could hold together — spaces that were modern and efficient, but still allowed them to live and feel like a family.”

The design emerged as a vertical composition — two independent residence at the lower level, with a duplex home above for the family of four. The compact urban plot demanded a thoughtful balance between privacy and openness, between togetherness and solitude. The planning responded directly to the family’s rhythm — open, park-facing living areas for entertaining, and more intimate, cocooned zones for unwinding at the end of the day.

Large floor-to-ceiling windows draw in natural light while framing views of the park’s treetops. These moments of visual connection expand the sense of space, allowing the interiors to breathe. “We wanted the house to feel light — visually and emotionally,” says Swarima Agarwal, Project Lead at UnBox. “Even though the site was tight, we made sure every space had access to daylight and greenery.”

Material honesty lies at the core of the home. Walls finished in stonecrete lend texture and depth; exposed concrete ceilings cast over wooden planks reveal the mark of the material itself; polished marble floors bring in a quiet sense of luxury. The use of Indian Jaisalmer stone adds warmth and luminosity, especially where light filters down through a skylight at the top of the central stairwell.

This freestanding staircase, detached from the wall and bathed in daylight, becomes the vertical heart of the home. Along its full height, a hand-painted Tree of Life mural winds upward — a symbolic gesture connecting all levels and embodying the family’s sense of growth and rootedness.

“For us, the Tree of Life wasn’t just an aesthetic element,” notes Aman. “It represented the spirit of the house — that sense of continuity, where spaces, memories, and people all grow together.”

The interiors were deliberately kept minimal to make room for the family’s growing art collection. “We wanted the architecture to step back, to allow art and light to take the lead,” says Aman. The furniture and styling were developed in collaboration with Mangrove Collective and Portside Café, whose custom-crafted pieces bring tactile warmth to the space. Art and accessories were carefully curated with stylists to ensure every room carried a quiet dialogue between the old and the new.

“This house is not a single author’s vision,” Aman adds. “It’s the result of many conversations — between the clients, our team, the contractors, the furniture designers, and the artists. Everyone added a layer, and that’s what makes it feel real.”

In the end, House by the Park is more than a well-designed structure — it’s a lived-in narrative of connection and craft. Every material, every junction, every ray of light was shaped by collaboration. It’s a home that feels both timeless and alive — rooted in memory, open to change, and quietly fulfilled.