A 50-year-old apartment in Mumbai is updated to a luxury home

Megha Kedia Design takes inspiration from the sea and the family aspiration for modern living for the renovation.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Noaidwin Sttudio; courtesy Megha Kedia Design

The site

This is an old apartment that was now slotted for renovation after close to five decades. While it wasn’t in great shape, its location was stunning: on Mumbai’s Marine Drive, overlooking the Queen’s Necklace.

The brief

The client brief specified the inclusion of a lot of clear movement zones, and requested the designer to use the space wisely. The family also wanted the ‘wow’ effect even in the most ordinary areas. “We wanted to transform into something modern, which would also retain the vibe of a home, a place of peace after a hectic day at work,” says designer Megha Kedia who runs her eponymous design practice out of Gurgaon. “The layout was wholly reconfigured to create inviting and liveable spaces for the growing family and their entertaining lifestyle.”

The civil intervention

Given the objective of creating a contemporary home geared for modern living, the living room was converted into a bedroom, while a bedroom was made into a living room. A long wall at the entrance was taken down, and a single-entry kitchen made space for a mandir. By reclaiming dead areas such as shafts helped Megha stitch together a more expansive feel.

A contextual response

“While selecting the colours,” discloses the designer, “the design inspiration came from the sea views. Most of the planning and design action was accompanied by the question of interactions with the sea landscape, but also as a practical response to the sea’s proximity in the material and maintenance context.” The challenge, she says, was also location-driven: lowering the windows was difficult in the rainy season owing to the high wind pressure and onslaught of the south-westerly monsoon. As far as materials went, the design combined warm materials such as warm tones of wood, veneers, rattan, metallic touches, texture, pastels with black accents, neutral hues with upholstered surfaces, tiles, marble and solid PU colours.

The spatial configuration and materials

The entrance is defined by an elegant console, graphic artwork, a planter, and a few accessories. “We maximised the limited space against this muted concrete textured wall from Limocoat, and added a touch of antique brass and fluted glass. The kitchen lies on the right. And features quartz counters and backsplash. Opposite the kitchen is a large crockery unit, rendered from American Walnut veneer and fluted glass. The dining ensemble is bespoke: dual-toned chairs are paired with a statuario-topped table. Wallpaper from Kalakaari Haath adds an evocative touch. This space also includes a customised bench along the wall that functions as additional seating.

The living room gets a bit of privacy thanks to a glass partition, which can be opened to create a larger living space. This room features a sofa with two lounge chairs and a bench. “A cabinet in the corner functions as a multi-purpose storage and can be converted into a bar,” reveals Megha.

The son’s room is located near the above-mentioned crockery unit, and is highly bespoke in nature. Featuring a white, grey and green colour scheme, it has a wall texture with a PVD-coated golden strip to add a highlighting factor. Wooden fluted wall panels add depth and break the whiteness of the entire room.

The master bedroom has an island bed, with the wardrobe area behind. Two sets of side tables with drawers and fluted panels sport a combination of PU and veneer. The circular couch is bespoke designed and upholstered in boucle fabric. The washroom has beautiful ceramic tiles and the cabinets have a lovely PU shade along with fluted glass on one of the cabinets.

A small verandah was converted into a room for the daughter. It has enough storage space with a study cabinet and a low-height single bed. The breath-taking sea view is the hero here.