Norman Foster “As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past for a future which is essentially unknown.”

We took off from this when we started working on this 1266 sq.ft. apartment in the western suburbs. This residence is 2 apartments coalesced to one. The clients having lived in culturally firm Rajasthan, have made the queen of metropolitans; Mumbai their Home for the past few years.

Having lived in Rajasthan the clients wanted a spacious abode. with a cohesion of modern and traditional. Breaking down requirement based on utility  and combining it with aesthetics a design proposition was made for this residence in Jogeshwari.

Integrating an innovative approach to design, while retaining an old world charm in its contemporary functional spaces is how we can sum up the design philosophy for this house. Taking into consideration personalised style as a part of client profiling, adding accents of refined sensibility infused with rich indigenous heritage a vibrant design that perfectly expresses elegance and style was created.  

The challenging part of the residence was the irregularity of space in the living room was to be transformed into a cohesive space. The irregular shape is formed in the process of combining the two adjacent flats thus creating various pockets in the long living room. This meant having a unique seating layout simultaneously creating a vibrant design that perfectly expresses elegance and style.  Furniture transforms modern day living into form of a creative impression. This helped in carving out a more creative approach to the spatial living room. The living room was functionally divided into a breakfast area, a formal dining space, a cluster for general seating and a more cosy seating corner. A window is located immediately on entering; this window has been treated in a way to camouflage it to look like a niche.  We choose a contrasting marble (contrasting to the flooring) for framing this window and wooden ceiling. This marble has been used in the long living room; the application and usage varies but it helps tie the space. We picked wooden blinds for this area to form a background, subtle light filtering through. Hints of gold and white in the form of the ceramic lion artefact accentuates the niche.

The design sensibility was to have an organized chaos. Its challenging to turn hurdles into items of aesthetics and take them away from being the eyesore that they are.  The odd shape obtained by the convergence of two apartments, the series of deep beams within this space were challenging us to break away from the typical sense of design.  We designed the false ceiling to be multifaceted; wrapping around the beams. The asymmetry also defines the seating arrangement, which is very unusual. A low back three seater and a two seater with a unique stand out single seater. A fixed seat was also made towards the window. The design of this seat wraps around; into the wooden ceiling and turns into the opposite wall to form a wall treatment in wood and chamfers into gold leafing.  The furniture was customised by keeping in mind the aesthetic beauty that the space warrants.

A very geometric imprint has been created overall in the living room, the partition above the shoe rack gives glimpses of the breakfast area. The flooring was partially changed in such a way that the breakfast table seems to rises from the flooring. The placement of elements in the dining area is also asymmetrical. A cluster of lights in glass with gold and white accents becomes the focus in the dining area.

The TV unit is a huge marble bevelled frame, with just a ledge to fulfill the functional requirements. This wall is purely designed for aesthetics in a combination of wood, marble and gold leafing. Lighting has been very crucial in overall design and here it makes it a prominent feature as marble and wooden elements have been used.  

The dining table area is designed to make the asymmetry stand out. The beautiful white and gold glass chandelier is the prime focus of this area. Custom made dining solid wood top table is another unique feature of the dining area. A small multipurpose counter was made that could be used as a breakfast table or as a bar. The marble counter rises from the floor as if it has been carved out. Geometric lines merge to form a sleek functional space here. The kitchen forms the extension of the breakfast table. The kitchen is a minimalist contemporary design with pristine white platform, contrasting wooden tiles on the floor and dado and a very subtle laminate finish for the shutters. By using colours from the same family the kitchen looks elegant.  

One of the room was that of the teenage sons; the brief was to have a design that synchronised to his growing years. The design was to keep it fun and playful yet not childish. The headboard is in two overlapping parts one that  runs from the ceiling to form the tv panel finished in laminate. The other part overlapping finished in coloured lamination. Instead of the typical side lamps on either side of the bed we integrated the ambient light into the headboard. Overall colours were kept neutral we added a little punch of color in the soft furnishing. A caged corner light adds to the decor of the room.

The common bathroom was done completely in one marble except for the countertop and the insides of the niche finished in pure white onyx. The door to the utility was changed to a glass door to bring in more light into the bathroom.

The master bedroom suite was formed by combining a smaller of the previous room to make it the walk in wardrobe. The master bedroom suite is infused with meticulous detailing in terms of sourcing materials, unique technical innovations and artistic features statement of style and comfort with a subtle stamp of opulence. The wall between the master bath and the master bedroom was broken to have a big fixed glass. This helped in creating an illusion of making the room look big. A  back lit customised head board comprises of laser cut panel with classical geometric Motifs, the single seater is finished in deep maroon velvet and intricate gold leafing details adds a hint of glamour to the room. The tv unit is extremely classy and chic finished in a seamless colour lamination; two hanging lights on either side adorn the units functionality. We choose floral curtains to compliment the head board. The beautiful floral on the curtains blend tastefully with classical geometric patterns, textures and plains of the colour lamination.  The walk in wardrobe is part finished in Mirror to create a deception of a wider space. A full length mirror panel with indirect lighting was customised on site for the dresser. The master bedroom suite ranges from vintage pieces to contemporary. The overall space is formed from a selection of creation and curated items.