Haven for Two- Remodeling an old space into an extremely poignant one

A sense of home

This is home to a dynamic young couple, who had lived away from their families for a major part of their lives. They had now decided to move-in, just to stay together with their fast-ageing parents. Therefore, the design team’s scope on this residential project involved the master suite and a study-cum-den for the couple, whilst keeping the other parts of the house untouched as they were built very fondly by their parents.

Opening into newer lights

Nestled on the ground floor of an Art Deco building, the residential space was a typical old Bombay structure with small windows, moisture seepage, thick unbreakable walls, narrow passages and tall ceilings. Initial site visits and investigations, followed by vigorous ideating & planning lead the team to strategically plan the space to address all the issues. Some of the solutions conceived were: Opening up the window spaces to allow the sun to pour in. Opting for white and reflective surfaces opposite to the windows to reflect light and visually amplify the space. Planning detailed backdrops closer to the windows for they will interact with the natural light to form interesting shadows and highlights. Selecting the same paint shade for the ceilings and walls to create an illusion of seamlessness. Placing mirrors in the passage to optically double up the area. And repeating architectural details across both the rooms for an immersive feel.

Yearning for the sense of belonging

Although the clients were young, they had a strong penchant for everything timeless and classical, muted and monochrome, detailed and thoughtful, Indian and vernacular, whilst being nostalgic yet modern. As they oscillated between countries for work, they yearned for a space that physically and sensorially transported them back “home”. They wanted to use native, regional materials, and employ local karigars to allow the skills of the craftsmen to be exhibited. They wanted the space to have an Indian feel with an international appeal.

Materialistic interventions

With the received brief of inclinations & desires, an unambiguous choice of colors, materials and details followed. Cane, Wood, Oak Veneer, Brass, Linen, Cotton as materials, while browns, beige, oak, whites accompanied as colors. Traditional Indian patterns, textures and details were carefully brought together to weave an understated luxurious story.

Amalgamating the masculinity and femininity of it all

The Master Bedroom is seen as an amalgamation of masculine skeletal married to feminine details. The tall linen clad headboard receives a delicate flute detail. It is framed within the wall molding allowing for an illusion of a proportionate bedroom which was otherwise taller than wider. The humungous wardrobes were flanked with subdued modernized classical panel detail.

Another requirement was to scoop out areas that apart from retiring and storing, allowed for other functions, like: reading, coffeeing, lounging, taking quick work calls, a landing spot and snuggling! Therefore, a niche was carved between the wardrobes, and a bench was planned underneath the window. A conscious effort was made to create an enveloping feel for the nook, so that one felt inside a cocoon, inside a warm comfort zone when they performed their choice of recreational activity. This was achieved by repeating the fluting detail around all the surfaces that formed a part of it. A Muar Diseno inspired, versatile and dexterous bench was chosen to tick all the boxes. To add a luxe feeling, brass was used as light fittings, handles and knobs across the room. Plants, Art and Rugs were added to complete the look.

Smoothening the transitions

Since the team could not open up and join the two adjacent rooms to create an expansive look, they ensured a smooth transition by staying within the ambit of the chosen color palette, materials & details. Owing to space crunch most Mumbai homes face, the Study-cum-Den needed to serve the multitude of ways the user intended to interact with the space: as a Study, a Den and as a Guest Bedroom. The study is seen as horizontal and vertical lines coming together to compose a modern minimalistic set-up. A thin ledge was provisioned to serve as a book shelf, and everything was finished homogeneously with a rich oak veneer. The TV unit exhibits the age-old chevron pattern translated in the form of carving, contrasted by a thick wooden border, forming an understated piece of furniture. The unit was purposefully made floating and handle-less, to help elevate the clutter-free feel of the space. The design for this space came full circle with a classical day bed. This not only brought an element of nostalgia, but also helped to balance the new with the old. The locally fabricated teak bed can be used to lounge to watch TV while allowing to be converted as a queen-sized bed for guests. Plants, Art and Rugs were added to complete the look.