Customised for a young, working couple with flexible jobs that allow them to work from home when needed, this house is minimalistic yet elevated in style. A gracefully designed space on a stringent budget, the 1250 sq ft, three-bedroom-hall-kitchen apartment in Rustomjee Seasons, BKC, Mumbai took approximately five months to complete. The result is a warm and inviting abode that checks all the boxes on the client’s checklist.
Clean and clear
A spacious house, the only brief the inhabitants gave Shilpa Kabra from The DesignBox was to create a clutter-free space that’s low on maintenance. With a designated space for every item, the house looks clean and clutter-free even when in use, and is colourful but in a balanced way that doesn’t come across as jarring. There are no unnecessary items, elements or furniture to make it look complex and instead different textures have been interspersed beautifully to create the finished look. The clients were rather fuss-free giving Shilpa, the designer, sufficient creative liberty to play around, a feat she enjoyed. “Not many clients are okay with minimal storage and surprisingly this couple didn’t want a lot of storage. They instead wanted to keep things open and accessible” she states.
Free movement
The master bedroom in warm tones of brown makes for a calm space that’s extremely functional. The daily routine of the couple was kept in mind while creating this space that accommodates a desk, custom-made rattan baskets for their laundry, a simple yet elegant table and an ascent light. The concrete textured wall with liquid copper, behind the bed, is the highlight of the room and worked out as a great alternative to regular wallpaper or textured wall paint. Its unique elements add character to the room bringing in a beautiful synergy.
The clients did not want a TV unit, but a console opposite the bed has been provided which also fits in the laundry basket seamlessly into the design of the room. The key here was to plan well to fulfil every need for example one rattan basket is used to put in their dirty laundry while the other stores their blanket in the day so when they are using the house everything remains out of their way. Even the bathroom is breathable making way for more movement and less clutter.
Close at hand
The 6-year-old daughter’s room was strategically reverse-designed to make it accessible for her. This essentially means that the designers made enough space for her to store and access things she needs on a day-to-day basis. Her clothes, toys, books etc. were all kept in cupboards customised according to her height. She wanted a doll house but that wasn’t practical, so some similar elements were added to the interiors of the room through her cupboards.
The room also has a large wardrobe which houses things that she may not access but needs so it works well for storage. The wall behind her bed has a very cute decal cloud background, which is quick and easy to apply. While everything was designed to make it accessible to her, the height of the study table was kept standard with a chair with good height adjustment and comfortable leg support so that she doesn’t outgrow it soon.
Bound by books
The one thing the client demanded was a sufficient space to display their books. The couple, who is extremely fond of reading has hundreds of books that they wanted to be the ‘centre of attention’ in their home. So an 8ft x 5ft space was created only for their books–a kind of study where they could sit and read, use to conduct zoom meetings or simply spend some quiet moments. But that’s not all. A book wall was also created in the living room that doubled as a display wall. This wall adds character to the entire house with artefacts they’ve collected from their travels across the world and is a highlight of this fuss-free abode. The living room also houses a flexible and easy-to-use dining table for four along with a comfortable sofa that faces the television unit. Designed for two different sets of parents who visit the couple once a year, this room is simple and spacious. With minimal furniture, a compact television unit and an ascent light this room has a pleasant aura to make the guests feel welcomed.
The location of this site itself is calm and serene with greenery all around so the French windows in the entire house only added to its openness. A sizeable modular kitchen completed this house in the prerequisite budget provided by the client and needless to say the result was sheer happiness and joy.
Fact File:
Name of the Project: A Serene Abode
Location: BKC, Mumbai
Area: 1250 sq ft
Month & year of completion: June 2021
Firm name: The DesignBox
Lead Designer: Shilpa Kabra
Photography Credits: Shilpa Kabra
