Roots and Wings is an 8,000 sq. ft. home in Delhi designed by Leena Monga of Agnom Designs for a three-generation family. Developed in phases while the family continued to live on-site, the house is a layered transformation that preserves the emotional imprint of the original structure while introducing a contemporary spatial and material language.
Project Name: Roots and Wings
Studio Name: Agnom Designs
Location – D, 4/5, Block D, Sikanderpur Ghosi, Sector 26A , Gurgaon
Square Footage: 8000 SQ. FT.
Principal Designer(s): Leena Monga
Photography Credits: Atul Pratap Chauhan
At the heart of this redesign is the family matriarch, who, along with her late husband, built the original home. Her connection to the site became the foundation of Monga’s approach. As the needs of her son and granddaughter evolved, so did the home; adapting to the present while holding onto its past and looking to the future, both functionally and expressively.
Spanning three levels, this 8,000 sq. ft home weaves together old and new. A transitional entrance passage connects the original structure to newer interventions. The ground floor, steeped in sentiment and neoclassical references, retains much of the original shell. The first floor shifts to a more modern, restrained tone. The top level: a glass house conceived as a gathering and party space, brings in a youthful, social spirit. Each level carries its own mood, yet the home is tied together by curvilinear forms, botanical motifs, and a nuanced material palette. A poignant piece: a king-and-queen brass sculpture placed in the entrance passage, creates an immersive first impression. “In a home like this, design cannot be superficial,” says Leena Monga. “The family’s emotional investment in this space was the foundation, and the architecture had to reflect that without being weighed down by it. Every corner had to feel intentional, lived-in, and relevant.”
The ceilings throughout are treated as visual elements, with interesting profiles and patterns that extend the home’s layered tactility vertically. The daughter’s room features colour blocking on the ceiling and a cantilevered bay window that juts out over the garden. The son’s room, on the contrary, adapted around vastu constraints while still maintaining material harmony. A centrally placed swing serves as both a structural anchor and emotional heart of the home: an open, airy corner designed for conversation and pause. “Even when I return to the house, I’m drawn to that swing,” says Monga. On the first floor, it shares space with a piano, where the father and daughter often spend their evenings. Throughout the home, contrasts are carefully balanced. High-gloss finishes sit beside matte textures, and darker hues in the glass house redefine traditional organic interiors, enabling it to shift effortlessly from day to evening use
To bring nature indoors, the house features custom wallpapers by UDC Wallpaper, with falcon motifs, organic grains, and branches that wrap from wall to ceiling. Each mural was individually mapped for scale and coherence. “It’s not a standard repeat—it’s a hand-wrapped mural that works more like an artwork,” says Monga. Textures, too, are tactile rather than merely visual: scalloped edges, soft arches, boucle fabrics, and velvet upholstery give depth even to transitional spaces. The shaft wall, for instance, carries dot-like patterns inspired by stone inlays and boucle. Materiality in the home balances biophilic warmth with a certain glam factor. While most nature-inspired spaces lean rustic, Monga infused this one with plush fabrics—velvets, treated textiles, and moodier colour blocking. “The client said, ‘We want to be close to nature, but we also want glamour,’ so we didn’t hold back from using high-gloss finishes, black wallpaper, and dramatic dark glass where needed.” Matte and gloss finishes interplay throughout, adding dimensionality and sheen. Furniture was sourced from Forums, with bespoke millwork by Terra. Lighting by Jainson Lights and Dorthee, and sanitary fittings by Kohler, complete the palette. Rugs from Jaipur Rugs and Hands bring cohesion and softness to each space. The artwork, belonging to the matriarch of the family, roots the interiors in personal history.
Though visually cohesive, the house was intentionally designed without a single unifying moodboard. “Every space has its own story,” says Monga. “The only rules I gave myself were: curves and biophilia. Beyond that, I let the family’s energies guide the process.” The result is a home that resists monotony and unfolds over time, an environment shaped as much by instinct and emotion as by architectural rigour. Each room has a distinct identity, yet there is no visual discord. Unity comes through quiet details: the curve of a ceiling, the texture of a fabric, the matriarch’s art collection, and the ever-present botanical motifs.
Roots and Wings is a dialogue between legacy and change. It is a home that does not shout, but listens and remembers. And in doing so, it becomes a place where family history and future aspirations coexist.
