unTAG Architecture & Interiors’ narrative of affordable luxury encapsulates the owners’ love of globetrotting, nature and Tropical Modernism in this Mumbai apartment, second home to two creative individuals based in Sri Lanka.
Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Ruhma Ukaye; courtesy unTAG Architecture & Interiors
The site
The USP of this home is the clear expanse of the greens you look over, whose canopies transform from greens to yellows to vermilion seasonally. “The first instinct we got from the site was, the home deserved a spacious living cum dining space with an open kitchen,” reveal Gauri Satam and Tejesh Patil of unTAG Architecture & Interiors.
The brief
The clients are a young charismatic Indian couple, who love travelling the world, and who have been based in Sri Lanka for 15 years. The Mumbai apartment was to be a second home for them, replete with vibes of Tropical Modernism taking inspiration from the legendary Geoffrey Bawa. Arefa, the lady of the house, is a renowned children’s book author, while her husband Aditya is a self-taught nature photographer. Both are avid travellers, and this home was to be a living museum of their journeys taken together.
The design intent
“To Keep it Simple,” state the young architects when asked about the central design idea of the project. “The project was indeed our whole-hearted attempt at conceptualising and executing affordable luxury in Interiors, a philosophy we truly believe in, and which we have been trying hard to practise in our architectural projects so far.”
The civil intervention
The programme was largely kept intact — except for the wall separating the living and kitchen which was pulled down to make the living feel more spacious and airy.
The spatial flow
The pubic zone is a seamless entity with a spacious living-dining area and an open kitchen forming a single space. From the dining area, a tiny passage leads first to the guest cum media room and culminates at a spacious master bedroom with an ensuite study.
The material palette
Given the aesthetic direction prescribed by vernacular tropical homes, materiality embraces the rustic and the earthy. White walls, printed floors, wooden accents and exposed brick walls give a sense of timelessness to the space. The walls are layered with printed handmade tiles. Budget-friendly yet well-crafted rattan and salvaged wood furniture was customized from Mumbai’s Oshiwara market in the western suburbs. Indoor greens were also treated as a ‘material’ since they complement the whites, greys and wood tones, and also because they are an inextricable part of Bawa-esque designs.
The personal touch
Most of the walls showcase several mesmerising nature photographs taken by the client, as memories from their adventurous travels worldwide. Souvenirs from these trips serve as decor pieces, each one possessing a unique story. Additionally, “we gifted Arefa and Aditya a watercolour painting of Lunuganga done by Tejesh,” smiles Gauri.
The challenges
“One of the biggest challenges,” says Gauri, “was, how do you craft a sense of luxury and be humble/cost effective at the same time. How do you use cost-effective materials, yet creatively layer them together to create a sense of affordable luxury. The answer was simple: keep it minimal. Adhering to the principles of Less is More, we spent only where needed; we bought only what was needed.
“Also, having never met the clients in person and being entrusted with the responsibility of crafting the home aesthetics by these strangers, was a huge challenge in itself. We became the clients’ eyes,” she adds, stating that executing a project during pandemic brought with it its own upheavals.
The highlights
The simplicity and humility the home exudes resonates with Geoffrey Bawa’s philosophy, and that’s what makes it special. “It’s a very simple project, nothing fancy, no big brands, yet we feel it captures the essence of a tropical apartment living,” states the architect duo. “Above all, it’s about making luxury affordable and accessible.”
Fact file
Project: The Globetrotters’ Haven
Clients: Arefa and Aditya
Location: Mumbai
Area: 1,000 sq ft
Principal architects: Gauri Satam and Tejesh Patil
Contractor: RIVI
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