In the beginning it is always a project, a site, a caterpillar that blossoms into the proverbial butterfly, a home. And then there is this home, which was never a project. It is an ode to friendship, to shared dreams, to that magical rhythm that infuses even the smallest corner of this home.
The client wanted a home for three generations that felt open and connected but never exposed: full of warmth, laughter, comfort, conversation and art. The challenge was to give each generation its own character across four floors while keeping the whole house coherent. Seamless joinery was a near-daily point of discussion. Every piece of furniture and every bathroom began with a wish list from the person it belonged to, so the design stayed personal rather than uniform. The home is organised around "visual porosity". A dazzling white plaster staircase links the floors with staggered landings that play peek-a-boo, and built-in lamps glow at each turn. Round glass inserts in the floor can be walked on and looked through.
A small aperture frame a glowing orb of light as you climb towards the drawing room, and miniature portholes invite you to press against them for new views through the dining and drawing rooms. Galss bricks form walls across the floors, the very epitome the paradox of solid and clear. and Tangerine and sky-blue glass lights swoop through the stairwell, and veneered stripes in warm tones parade through passages, a living room and the study. Each floor has its own mood. The parents' living space has deep reds splashing against pale jade carpets and honeycomb upholstery. The younger daughter's bedroom is a ray of sunshine. The master bedroom lets in the green of the surrounding trees. The study pairs cool aquas with warm striped veneer, and the noir powder room has a silver-framed, Bidri-inspired carpet wall and a filigree chandelier. Colour arrives mainly through art and objects.
The drawing room palette of Malteasers, ivory, biscuit and a splash of cola was inspired by the beloved family dog, Oreo. Warm sesame marble with large natural chips and toasty timber floors run through the home at varying scales. The client's company deals in fine veneers, which allowed rare, subtly grained veneer to clad various walls.Furniture and decorative lights are a considered mix of European design houses and Indian craft. The home features pieces by Flexform, B&B Italia, Edra, DePadova, Giorgetti, Chi Wing Lo, GlasItalia, Poltrona Frau, Molteni, Cappellini and Baxter, Marset, Vitra and many others. Locally crafted pieces sit alongside them: an embroidered cabinet by Rooshad Shroff, a crescent lamp and moon mirror by Ashiesh Shah, and tables by Ravi Vazirani. DeMuro Das made the custom furniture and cabinetry with special finishes, including the dining table beneath the Klove light installation, whose burgundy took many trials to achieve.
Coast To Coast, the client's in-house company, crafted the millwork.Is any home complete without art? Each work here was lovingly collected and hotly debated, and each carries its own anecdote.
