Seaside Heaven
With the stunning Arabian sea as the backdrop, gallerist DURVA GANDHI’S home exudes a sense of calm, says Sushmita Biswas
Now this is one 1,500sq ft apartment with a great view. You can see the Arabian Sea as it crashes against the beach not just from the living room and bedrooms — but even from the shower stalls. It’s no wonder then that graphic designer Durva Gandhi thinks that her home is one of the most relaxing spaces she knows.
The fourth-floor Mumbai flat is, at first glance, clutter-free, open and most certainly home. Besides clear views of the sea, the flat is dominated by eye-soothing pristine white and huge glass windows that make it look bigger than it is. Adding dashes of vibrant colour are paintings by famous and upcoming signatures.
Beautifying spaces is all in a day’s work for Gandhi. As an aesthetic consultant to art galleries and as a curator working with upcoming artists, she’s used to offering complete design solutions. Her Mumbai-based design firm, I Design, plays consultant to art galleries and publishing companies that specialise in designing coffee-table books.
Two years ago, when Gandhi along with her banker husband Kumar Shah moved into this posh Colaba apartment they decided to keep the interiors minimalistic. The result: a serene space that has, in Gandhi’s own words, “a comforting feel to it.”
But before the apartment came into being, Gandhi had loads to do. For one, the apartment was converted into its current form by combining two small flats (with a bedroom, hall and kitchen each) that were adjacent to one another. Gandhi broke the connecting wall between the flats to build herself a larger two-bedroom home. Stuck with two kitchens, she converted one into her office-cum-library.
An unusual feature of the house is that Gandhi has used glass doors everywhere except for the bathroom, study and kitchen. “I wanted my home to exude a refreshing look and feel,” she says.
So the walls have been kept a sparkling white while the furniture is stylishly low in teak wood and cream upholstery. “I deliberately chose white to provide a backdrop for the art,” says Gandhi.
Being spiritual, Gandhi has created a serene spot for herself in the living room where she meditates twice everyday. In an alcove she’s placed a statue of the Buddha made in plaster of Paris which she bought in Sri Lanka. The alcove is framed by an antique temple door from Kerala while a Tibetan bell that she bought from Dhoop, a design studio in Mumbai, drops from the centre of the alcove.
A brass urli (or traditional, south Indian shallow vessel) sits on the floor in front of the alcove. Gandhi floats diyas and marigold flowers in the urli even as the other pujaaccoutrements are stored in a teakwood cabinet near at hand.
Steeped in art gallery aesthetics, Gandhi has turned her house into a mini gallery of sorts. “The art adds colour to the otherwise pale colours,” she says. It’s almost needless to say that she has highlighted the paintings with gallery lights.
A Sakti Burman painting hangs in the lounge while Laxma Goud and Payal Khandwala paintings are neatly displayed in the bathrooms.
Opposite the Buddha statue in the living room hangs a red oil-on-canvas by Atmanand Chauhan. Besides paintings, Gandhi has a soft spot for installations. A glass installation by upcoming artist Nilesh Kumar and a ceramic installation by Vinod Daroz can’t be missed in the living room. Works by young artists Kiyomi Talaulicar and Yashwant Deshmukh also vie for attention in the living room and in the guest room.
Family meals are served in the living room on the low, glass-top coffee table made from the Kerala temple door, the frame of which has been used to embellish the alcove. “At meal times we sit on mats placed around the table,” she says.
From the living room, a glass door leads to the guest room that has a huge bed strewn with bright cushions. Gandhi has created a sit-out area that overlooks the sea by enclosing the balcony. The attached bathroom has Australian marble flooring interspersed with handmade ceramic tiles. The shower area has been kept blue in keeping with the sea-view.
In the master bedroom, blinds made with white sheers with leaf motifs screen the windows. There’s just one wall-cabinet for storage. The master bathroom has a glass-walled bathing area which once again offers a sea-view, but is screened off with blinds.
But Gandhi has cleverly created storage areas in every room. Her bathrooms have storage closets to hold all her clothes and cosmetics and even the low-seating arrangements in the living room have concealed storage space.
Another striking feature of the home is that the TV is conspicuous by its absence. No slave to technology, Gandhi hates playing couch potato because it “destroys creativity”. And given the well- appointed home, the creative juices are at an all-time high.
No comments:
Post a Comment