An urban bungalow located in the suburbs of Bombay– it’s an existing G+8 structure. There are two brothers who have split the bungalow based on floors. So the lower three floors were taken by the elder brother and the other three were taken by the younger brother who is the client for the project. The seventh floor is a common entertainment zone shared by all and the eighth floor is the terrace garden.
Designer’s name: Shobhan Kothari and Anand Menon
Company’s name: ADND
Project’s name: Luxe One
Location: Mumbai
Photo credits: Photographix India (phxindia)
Because this was an existing structure, originally built as G+3, one of the constraints faced was dealing with limited floor to floor heights as they are not the luxurious heights enjoyed in new constructions.
The entrance lobby was common for both the brothers with the common area/public spaces also being designed by Adnd. As the first three floors were designed by someone else, the designers also had to bridge the gap of functionality and aesthetics in both the spaces.
The design is kept modern and contemporary. A little play in the flooring was done by using a herringbone pattern in marble to bring in a sense of opulence to the interiors. A mirror on the left is added to magnify the space. A bespoke console piece fabricated with left over marble is placed near the entrance.
The fourth floor where one arrives– is a public floor where there is a formal living, dining, kitchen and guest/study room. The fifth floor is for the son and his family and the sixth floor is for the parents with a lounge area. The seventh floor is an entertainment zone with a lounge and gym with an attached terrace. On the 8th floor there is a terrace garden.
The space that connects formal dining and living
Due to site conditions, there is a split level situation so one has to step down to the formal living area. The entire space is in L- shape. To make the living and dining area cohesive and homogeneous, raw silk wallpaper cladding was used for walls. The panels in the wallpaper are separated by rose gold metallic accents. The client wanted the fourth floor to feel a bit more opulent than the other floors. The furniture selection is taken from Italian brands like Minotti and Giorgetti. A screen that acts as a divide between the two spaces is a customised screen from Giorgetti. The selection of finishes on the rings of the screen was done to compliment the materials used in this space.
Formal dining space with curved sofa seating and living area beyond the screen– the space consists of lighting in bespoke pieces with limited edition pieces from Italian brands. The client wanted curated spaces in terms of furniture and light.
The formal living on the fourth with the level difference, adds a certain sense of grandeur due to increased floor height. The furniture was selected from Minotti, the Italian brand. The sofa is grey with a subtle hint of blue. The space has large glazings capturing the beautiful greens.
There are pockets of seating within the space, with giorgetti chairs and a centretable. To keep the design seamless, doors are hidden in the wall panels.
A bespoke sliding glass with a fabric mesh sandwiched between the glass as a partition– acts as divide between staircase and the formal living area.
The guest/study room on the fourth floor
The client wanted this space to double up as a study and guest room. As they are quite an art centric people, hence a lot of collected artworks are featured throughout the house.
Powder bathroom
This space includes a standalone basin counter. A generic brief given for bathrooms was to keep them functional and minimalistic without any play in materials. Hence, all the bathrooms were monolithic in terms of design. Given the use of fewer materials, the spaces tend to look larger. Accessible from the guest bedroom and living room– it is a grey bathroom with black accessories, with the addition of greens.
Fifth floor-
The daughter’s room had a separate study area along with the bed space. A piece of custom furniture that acts as a divide between the study and the bedspace was used here. As there is a level of transparency between both the areas, they are not strictly divided into separate zones. The daughter is also interested in art, hence a lot of artefacts were used for the display space. A boutique wallpaper from an Italian brand called Design Dekko was used to unify the areas within the room.
The master bedroom on the fifth floor with attached lounge is the son’s room. It consists of a boutique wallpaper with artwork over the bed headboard. The aim was to keep a simple bare aesthetic. Soft grey beige tones with mirrors are used to magnify the area in the attached bathroom.
An open study acts as a connect between the lounge and the master bedroom. A door on the right leads to walk in closet and bathroom.
Another daughter’s bedroom on fifth floor was designed to keep the spaces simple for the end user and to let the space grow on them. Large study desk with storage, wardrobe in high lacquer finish were used. All furnishings, throws, finishes were customized.
The arrival space on the fifth floor lobby, leading to bedrooms, has a cabinetry that is one of the bespoke pieces from brand called Rimadesio. It is a stylised interior piece to showcase client collectables.
Staircase leading to sixth floor has an open display space. It is cantilevered off the display unit. Beyond the display unit is the dining with four chairs that doubles up as a study space for the daughter.
Internal staircase- As this was an existing bungalow, there was a public staircase connecting all floors. But an internal staircase was added that connected the 4th, 5th ,6th and 7th floor. A minimalist stair that is a combination of wood and marble– becomes a transition element between the floors through the use of two materials. The walls are also clad in marble, the idea being to create a sense of muted aesthetic with impact.
Sixth Floor-
The parent’s floor includes a family lounge where all three generations can come and interact together. It also includes a series of bedrooms including parent’s master bedroom and two guest rooms. As this area of the house was for the older generation, hence there was a conscious effort to keep the tonalities soft. There is extensive use of light wood veneer on walls and the curation for art takes a traditional standpoint as compared to the artworks in other spaces of the house. The sofa is selected from Italian brand Giorgetti as it fits the Indian ergonomics quite well.
Parents’ master bedroom includes a couch in front and has a bed with high headboard, wardrobe with brass accent and fabric panelling for shutters treated so that they are waterproof and stain proof. All furniture customized to suit their requirements.
The guest bedroom was to be kept simple and functional– not jarring in terms of texture and colour. The palette is kept neutral except for the chair that adds a pop of colour. The wall has alternate panels of veneer and back painted glass. Hence, the palette was gravitating towards off white and walnut.
The seventh floor was developed as an entertainment zone of the house. A fairly large space with an open plan– it is a combination of the lounge area with bar. A bar unit was fabricated offsite for the space. The difference between this space and the living on the fourth floor is that this was bolder in terms of textures and tonalities as it will be used by the younger generation. All the finishes from the door to the wall to the ceiling have a sense of texture. The entire tonality is bordering on grey and black as this was meant to be used as a party space. The flooring is grey stained oak with a distressed finish, walls have a concrete grey texture. The ceiling in solid wood is stained black oak with an open grain finish.
The powder bathroom attached to entertainment lounge is a dark dramatic space with a designer basin. The Bar unit on the seventh floor brings in certain opulence with black marquina marble used on the countertop. It also becomes the backdrop of the display behind the bar.
Limited edition accessories for shelves were used. The shelves had a brushed brass finish, and the brass also reflects on suspended lighting above bar. There was a very interesting finish on bar apron- special metallic paint finish in gradation.
Gym attached to the terrace acts as a connect between inside and outside. The greens on the terrace disguise the building beyond. The unique artwork in the lounge has humans performing on stage in a fisheye lens effect. Terrace on 8th floor was done in conjunction with Kunal Maniyar.
