A striking no fuss home in Mumbai

Fine Lines Designers revamps an old apartment into a modern, free-flowing and maintenance-free home filled with impressive artworks and accessories.   

Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Prashant Bhat; courtesy Fine Lines Designers 

The site

Fine Lines Designers was approached by a US-resident in her fifties to redesign a two bedroom apartment in Mumbai where she stayed on her visit to India. This second base for the lady was occasionally visited by her two sons. The flat is part of a building facing the sea, and was also privy to a lush garden. The dated interior design of the apartment (almost 20-years-old) saw tiled flooring, wood and aluminium window and bathrooms which required major revamping.

The brief

Since the client uses this apartment only one third of the year, she wanted an easy maintenance space which is simple and spacious to hosts her guests. “She was very clear in choosing function over form in every step of the way. No extra frills or fuss, everything should serve a purpose so she can continue her clutter-free life seamlessly from one country to the next. Aesthetically, she was flexible but neutral,” shares Sangeeta Mansharamani, principal designer, Fine Lines Designers.

The design intent

Adhering to the brief, the home is designed for easy maintenance, is no fuss, interactive and neutral. The entire approach has been towards minimalism, and ease. A timeless grey marble has been used for the flooring of the entire carpet area as well as window walls, bar counter and bathroom walls — which gives the entire apartment uniformity. This neutral base also allows the owner to keep changing accents and accessories as and when she wants to create a new look for the interiors.

Artwork has a special significance in the design — there are hand-painted murals on the wall (by artist Nagesh Ghodke) against canvas paintings which is difficult to maintain especially in a seaside residence. The other pieces of art are three dimensional ceramic art created by Sangeeta, the dragonfly in the master bathroom and the abstract mural over the sideboard. The patterns are created by found objects creating impressions on the clay. These found objects were discovered from the client’s collection of old block print stamps passed down from generations. The dragonfly as well as hand painted murals are influenced by the homeowner’s experiences in nature and love for gardening.

The spatial configuration

The design team had to break and rearrange some walls to create an open kitchen, and connect the dining and living room. The configuration of the apartment after the rearranging has an entrance that opens up into the expanse of the common space. This has been integrated entirely with the kitchen opening on to the living and the dining. The bedrooms flank the dining space on either side mirroring each other in plan.

The material palette

To create the endless feeling of the space, the same material — grey marble — has been used on the entire flooring including the utilities as well as the bathrooms. The walls with windows have been completely clad in the same grey marble to prevent leakage and continue the look. The walls are painted in light grey which in the bathrooms are converted to Australian white marble. Large, white PVC windows frame the views and strategically have smaller openings to prevent insects from coming inside and fewer sections for uninterrupted scenery. The bar is made from wooden fluted panels of varying heights in PU paint. All the loose furniture other than the chairs are from Bo Concept (beds, sofas, flap down desk, bar stools), straight line and complementing the vibe of the space.

Fact file

Project: (Devi Bhavan 51) 50 Shades of Grey
Client: Anu Advani
Location: Nepean Sea Road, Mumbai
Area: 1,310 sq ft
Principal designer: Sangeeta Mansharamani
Design team: Jigna Shivjiani
Styling: Aashna Mansharamani
Murals: Nagesh Ghodke
Ceramics: Sangeeta Mansharamani