SHROFFLEoN

The client brief was simple, to convert a 5 bedroom apartment into a lavish 3 bedroom apartment, in addition to the conversion of an open terrace into an intimate den. Clean minimal lines were requested with a muted palette. Our layout inserts an object a black box, at the very entrance. An object that in addition to holding a program, such as a bar, the puja room and the server, more importantly, frames the entrance to the home.

A hand-blown glass sculpture hovering above a gurgling water body held within the black box, greets the visitor to the home, directing him into the formal living area. While accommodating to the client's request of an enclosed den, we attempted to retain the atmosphere of being in the outdoors through elements such as wooden decking, plants in the form of a green wall and windows that open up completely, blurring the insides with the outdoors.

Taking advantage of the existing minimal floor heights of 9 feet, through the creative usage of playing with multiple ceiling heights, we accommodated for a concealed ac system, ensuring a luxury apartment look. Experimental usage of materials and textures is evident throughout the house and an aspect in which the credit goes duly to the client. Within each room, there is a material, texture or colour that was the result of an in-depth research and development between us, the client and the fabricator. In the den, we have an indoor green wall, in addition to a water body.

For the living room, we collaborated with an artist from Mumbai to create lead panels which at a textural level, gave the impression of a casted or a crumpled metal and utilized these panels to create a concealed bar. For a bedroom, we worked with artisans from Rajasthan to fabricate fluted marble tiles, which then formed the backdrop to the bed. Another bedroom saw the utilization of chevron pattern wood veneered wallpaper for the TV console. The bath as well was an area for innovation. A mirrored semi-transparent screen, in collaboration with a local artist, allows for privacy while at the same time filters natural light into the entire room.