Built by the design firm reD, as a private sanctuary away from the bustle of the city in Goregaon, Mumbai, this beautiful duplex which is picture postcard perfect is not only well planned but also has a pluralistic appeal.
Envisioning your home and watching it come alive is like having your dream turn into reality. Located on the 49th floor of a building in the Mumbai suburb of Goregaon, this lavish apartment was designed to provide a sanctum for a family with a supermom who also divulged the spatial planning needs for the home.
“This 3,000 sq ft duplex situated on a soaring height was originally inherited as two 3-bedroom apartments, the plan was significantly modified to meet the client’s brief of a duplex with 4 bedrooms in total,” highlighted the design team at reD. Presented with two floors to spread the interior spaces over, the design team segregated the entertaining areas from the private living areas.
Muted tones create a sublime mood.
The entry was planned into a double height space and this presented an opportunity for design and some three-dimensional spatial drama. Governed by the client’s personality and requirements the designers gave reason to their spatial planning. “The client is a super mom who loves to cook for her family in spite of a flourishing corporate career, so we decided to place the kitchen where she would cook and the dining area in the main double height space of this penthouse apartment. This interpretation of the programme allowed us to create amazingly unique spaces that changed the way the client entertains as well as the way she lives and relates to her family.”
Natural light in abundance and with no spatial constraints, the duplex presented itself as any designer’s dream canvas. The single height living area now flows seamlessly into the double height open kitchen and the dining area can be overlooked upon from the living quarters above. Clean cut spaces with large windows overlooking the vantage view dominate the lower level’s design USP.
Neutral colour schemes with natural tones compliment the spaces rather than draw attention away from them. The quirky use of varied tones of grey granite, create a unique pattern for the flooring giving the design parallels a fourth dimension. With the furnishings all restricted to muted beiges, the suspended umbrella lights in the double height area above the dining area draw all the attention. A mirror wall extends the entire length of the double height wall giving the space an even larger spatial feel.
A fairly straightforward industrial looking staircase with a glass railing links the lower level with the private living spaces above. Following the scheme from the level below, the upper level seamlessly transitions into a private sanctuary for the family. Setting the tone for the spaces, out-of-the-box wallpaper designs are fully in sync with the vision in mind conveying the eclectic elegance of the entire space. The master bedroom boasts a grand walk-in closet that is an enviable luxury in today’s times and wood panelling softens the tone of the sleeping areas which maintain the plush mood of the muted interiors.
Quirky and contemporary highlights; be they in the form of light fixtures or the wallpaper play all the high notes in this design orchestra. Proud as they should be of this medley, the team at reD say, “The extensive use of amazingly graphic wall papers with sculptures of beetles and bugs made out of recycled paper and suspended aqua fabric lights infuse the double height space with an almost ‘Alice in wonderland’ character. The uniqueness of the planning of space and its graphic quality could easily be the defining USP of this space for us.”
Muted tones create a sublime mood.
The use of materials that can be maintained easily, along with tones that work with most highlights are all characteristics of a well-planned and thought-out design detailing. Maintaining an air of classy contemporary in a functional home is what makes this luxury home stand out.
My favourite power woman Coco Chanel always said “Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.” And by keeping it minimalistic yet homely, the creators at reD have more than done justice to the term “luxury”.
Text By Virupa Kantamneni
Photographs Courtesy reD Architects
Contact
Web: www.redarchitects.in
