There is a particular irony we enjoyed at Ravindra Energy: an office perched on the 37th floor of the Kohinoor tower in Mumbai, and our instinct was to bring it back down to earth. As the founders and architects of Bricolage Bombay, Vinit Nikumbh and Ankita Mathapati Nikumbh, we wanted this elevated workspace to feel rooted in Indian soil even as it floated above the city skyline.
The floor announces that intention the moment you step in. A blend of Jaisalmer and Kota stone spreads underfoot, evoking the warm tones of the Indian landscape, while Brooklyn-style glass partitions frame each cabin and open the interior to panoramic views of the city and the iconic sea link. The transparent, grid-like partitions make the office feel generous, letting light and skyline flow freely while still carving out focused, private workspaces.
Against this, we layered the textures of craft. Terracotta-clad walls bring an earthen grounding to a space at altitude; jute fabrics add a tactile warmth and a nod to India’s textile heritage; raw stone, fine veneer and powder-coated metal meet in the detailing. At the heart of the plan sits a striking circular cabin — a masterstroke of layout that offers 360-degree views of the city below, an inspiring vantage point for ideation and leadership meetings, set on a radial floor of golden stone beneath a frankly exposed services ceiling.
The furniture, custom-designed throughout, carries the same idea. Each piece combines fabric, fine veneer, powder-coated metal and stone tops, merging elegance with durability — bespoke work that doubles as a statement of the studio’s commitment to crafted, sustainable design. Live-edge timber tables, modern Indian art and reeded glass complete a workspace that is, in the end, an experience as much as a place to work.
The detailing keeps the conversation between earth and altitude going in every room. A lounge is lined in fluted timber wainscoting and hung with works of modern Indian art; a boardroom runs a live-edge slab down its centre between crisp white chairs, framed by reeded-glass partitions and an olive-stone dado; a copy of the Constitution sits among the books on a shelf. Even the exposed services overhead, threaded with red conduit, are left honestly on view, so that the polish of the finishes never tips into pretension.
Ravindra Energy is our argument that contemporary office design can harmonise with traditional Indian aesthetics — that an office in the sky can still belong to the ground it rises from.
