A contemporarily Indian home that defies popular trends

An eclectic mix

The residence is spacious and airy, with a lot of natural light and ventilation coming in thanks to being on the 48th floor in Parel, Mumbai. The large open living dining area allows for various different seating arrangements as per the occasion. The eclectic mix of fabrics and material treatments gives the home a unique feel and aesthetic to the interiors.

Adding in the features

The apartment was originally a 3 BHK with balconies attached to every room. Since the clients stay alone with their niece, the third bedroom was suggested to broken and included to make the living area larger. The third bathroom was converted into a powder room and the shower area combined with the sunken storage area creating a perfect study area.

A lovely view

The entire apartment is approximately 1720 sq ft. There is also a service area balcony attached to the kitchen, which was used to create a utility area with sufficient storage. Situated on the 48th floor, the wrap around balconies offer lovely views of the eastern side of Mumbai including the Eastern freeway and the sea.

Visually broken

The main living area wall has two different printed wallcovers from the main entrance door till the balcony. Since it was a long wall, a visual break was added using a central decorative wallcover flanked by the same complementary wallcover on either side of it. The living room balcony wall is finished in textured waterproof paint with a customised sepia toned hand painted mural executed by in house artists Madhavi Mehta and Sejal Parikh.

Storing it away

The builder layout had a large central storage area, which was accessible from all corners of the house. This was maximised with a full height storage unit with sliding shutters and open shelves in the two corners. A tall bookcase was carved out into one of these walls to display the clients large book and artefacts collection.

The French and American way

The apartment had full French windows in every room. Sticking to the brief, light neutral coloured fabrics were chosen for the blinds/ American curtains everywhere. In the guest room, customised chattai blinds ae used to let the natural light and air enter the room as that was the smallest room in the apartment.

Mastering the bedroom

There was an enclosed storage area in the master bedroom, which was completely broken down and included with the room to make it look bigger. An L-shaped wardrobe was designed in this space, with full height shutters clad in an embroidered Missoni wallcover, to add to the light airy look rather than heavy dark veneers. The master bedroom balcony flooring was also finished in a ceramic tile but with a contrasting geometric pattern to the wooden laminate inside.

Colour me

There is no single fixed colour scheme in any of the rooms as the owners were very open to experimenting with different colours. The main concept was to add colours to the interiors as long as they were not dark and dull colours.

Favourite spaces

A favourite design element of the house was also the most challenging to execute. The client had an unusual request for the living room tv to be placed unobtrusively. It was decided to place it then on the jaali that separated the study and puja area from the living area. This was a challenge as all the wires and cables had to be neatly concealed within the jaali. A dash of colour through the blue and green glass was added in the jaali on the two sides of the tv which tied up with the blue and green fabric and furniture elements in the living area.

Curated series

The clients had a large collection of artwork, prints and artefacts collected from their various travels and postings abroad. It was incorporated into the interiors as it personalises the space and adds character as well. One such favourite piece is the metal shelving unit that the clients had bought during their stay in London, which is placed in their balcony. It was originally a bread display stand, which was converted into a potted plants and book display unit!

The house is customised to fit well with the clients and has a very warm and cosy vibe to it.