Location: Mumbai, India.

Architect: SSA architects.

The brief for this project was to design a customized home that reflected the family’s lifestyle and aesthetic sense. The resulting design was a modern home that showcased Indian culture and ethnicity in a contemporary backdrop. The house is divided into six levels for a family of four, with each family member having their own suite of rooms. The ground level is the formal living space, dominated by a huge wooden paneled glass window that allows natural light and nature into the living space. The son’s suite is on the first level, with an exposed brick wall serving as the headboard. The daughter’s suite is on the second level, with a neutral light grey terrazzo floor and a customized hand-spun carpet. The master’s suite on the third level is inspired by royal havelis and the brilliant blue of the Indian peacock feather. The fourth level houses the family room, dining, and kitchen zone, with a beige marble flooring acting as a canvas for brass inlayed wooden panels decorating the wall. The fifth floor is the entertainment and relaxation floor, with a spa and an open-to-sky deck area on the terrace level. The house is a perfect amalgamation of conservative traditions and cosmopolitan trends, symbolizing the narrative of ancient Indian design roots where traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary design brilliance. The warm welcoming wooden main door with brass inlay, complemented with both the brass “Kalpavriksha” tree and the “Deep Samai” traditional Indian brass oil lamp, is the first impression of the house whose opulence it conceals. The handwork of Indian artisans is evident in the ancient tradition of the detailed, delicate “Mother of pearl” inlay work in the marble flooring. The house is a living breathing space of what luxury truly signifies, with a warm and cozy palette of grey, white, black, brass, and warm yellow and orange earthy tones reflecting the Indian sunsets. The house symbolizes the family’s connection to their roots, saying “We are from here, we belong here, we celebrate here.”