A simple property turns into a notable light-filled home

SAS Design brought about the soothing effect by selecting the correct shade of blush that maintains the vibe throughout the day.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Rohan Nagwekar; courtesy SAS Design

The site

The site is a newly-built 650-sq-ft apartment located in Mulund, Mumbai, with plenty of eastern sunlight. 

The brief and design intent

The scope of the project was limited to two bedrooms and a hallway, with a master bedroom and a second bedroom for grandparents and a child. “The overall design intended to impart a uniqueness to the space with the use of a matte finished material palette with a kind of a Moroccan feel,” explains architect Shilpa Sawant of SAS Design. “This was handled by having an oak-finished wooden floor at its base and a right tone of blush.” The concrete and wood finishes on each piece of free-standing furniture were individually crafted to fit the concept. The idea was also carried over to the art frames. “Extensive work has gone into making each piece of furniture into a record item rather than a piece of loose furniture,” says the architect. The entire home uses the same mood board for the same mood to flow throughout the house.

The civil intervention

The location of the door of the child’s room was adjusted in the process of achieving the maximum potential. Additionally, sliding doors were advised for ease of moment and space fluidity.

The design and material details

As the space dimensions were too tight, the first material frozen was glass to keep transparency at the core of the material palette. The customised library and pantry unit was made with MS and fluted glass. It was used for most of the living room furnishings, adding a sense of curiosity and lightness to the space. The same fluted glass was utilised to create the kitchen and children’s bedroom doors. The pattern was aligned vertically and horizontally to achieve subtle variance.

The fluted doors lead to a versatile yet minimalistic kid bedroom. The space design was done in such a way that two users of the space had distinct divisions. Room was provided a wardrobe, dresser, pullout bed, storage with mandir, and a study table. As this space was multipurpose and  would be used by more than one user, the planning had to follow a strict geometry. The volume of the space was divided horizontally and vertically. Bringing the door into the centre, the space was divided into two portions vertically which helped allocate the dedicated spaces for two users. The horizontal division of space was intentionally done to create the illusion of largeness. The dark grey shade was used for the bottom portion and the light grey for the top half, giving the room a balanced tone. A special piece of customised art was beautifully displayed in the room as a highlight.

The blush shade of the master bedroom was clubbed with a unique dresser imparting a celebrity feeling. The blush was further enhanced using dark grey negative surfaces on the ceiling, furniture, and walls. Because the east-facing window flooded the area with sunshine, we could use the dark shade to cut down the glare and get the desired soothing and filtered light.

The dresser corner was designed as a desktop station along with an openable mirror having an array of make up bulbs around. The bed was made in a comfortable manner with adequate storage underneath. The master bedroom plan had a limited scope of wardrobe hence, it had to compensate for storage needs. Another long sliding cabinet was infused seamlessly, managing all the storage needs of a bedroom. 3D artwork was developed for the back of the bed in the master bedroom.

Space-saving strategies 

Apartment Anutham has a very compact dimension to accommodate the needs of a growing family of four while providing a large sense of space. Other than glass to establish visual lightness, the design team used roller blinds that take up little space and slim, smart cabinets. 

Fact file

Project: The Blush Home
Location: Mumbai
Area: 650 sq t
Principal architect: Shilpa Sawant
Design team: Kriti Shukla