Imagine. A 4,000 sq.ft apartment in Mumbai with views of the Arabian Sea and Marine Drive.
Filled with envy? I don’t blame you.
There’s a catch though. The plan of the house was so outdated that it didn’t resonate with what’s a given for today’s lifestyle. For instance, when was the last time you saw a house with no attached baths. So, what do you do?
Renovate, of course.
This apartment has stayed in the family for six decades. Primarily residents of Vadodara, the family uses the Mumbai home as a weekend home when they are in the city. Mitual Shah of Vadodara-based Studio Yamini took on the formidable task of renovating this 60-year-old apartment by changing its spatial footprint completely to suit the modern times.
About the project
Who lives here: a family of five whose primary residence is in Vadodara
Location: Marine drive road, Mumbai
Year built: 2017-18
Size: 4000 sq.ft
Type: 4BHK apartment with 7 bathrooms
Designed by: Ar. Mitul Shah of Studio Yamini
The family comprises of the couple and their three children. The house, in its former avatar, comprised of three apartments. The apartments did not have bedrooms with attached bathrooms — which was in tune with the conservative times of that era. Instead, the bathrooms were in a line outside the bedrooms. Each bathroom was accessible using two doors; one for the family to use from inside the house and another entrance from outside the house for the cleaners so they didn’t have to enter the house.
There was also a strict compartmentalization between the staff quarters and the family area. The family wanted the architects to renovate the home to accommodate a living, dining room, kitchen, four bedrooms, an entertainment room and staff quarters. The house had not been renovated all these years.
Mitul says,
I was completely overwhelmed with the view from this site. The house was oriented such that all the rooms had a sea view. It was like a dream house.
We decided to use a modern, chic aesthetic with a neutral palette for the public areas, while individual bedrooms were customized to the occupant’s preference.
The architects also capitalized on the apartment’s biggest asset, the sea view by enlarging windows to floor level. They created a grid like structure throughout the apartment framing the large windows to have an uninterrupted view of the sea from the living, dining, and the bedrooms.
They created a vestibule to connect the pubic and private zones. All the ancillary parts like the kitchen and the staff quarters fall on the other side – the ones without out the sea view.
Tanjore Art in Living + Dining
One of the remarkable aspects of this house are the magnificent works of Tanjore art dotting its walls, a feature that drew me to the project. The vestibule has been made into an art gallery of sorts to display the family’s stunning inheritance of original Tanjore art.
Even the dining room and the bar area proudly flaunt many original art works. The wallpaper-lined walls and the painting Kripa Drishti’ by Vadodara based Pranay Goswami resonate the hue. All art for the house has been handpicked. The living room corner is uplifted by a stunning Rini Dhumal.
The entertainment room was made more expansive by enclosing attached balconies which created tiny intimate alcoves in the process. The structural column, which was ‘exposed’ through the spatial alteration, was encased in wood and fitted with a ledge that comes in handy to keep drinks on. This room is pressed into service when the family hosts smaller gatherings.
Larger groups are entertained by throwing open this room and the living room next door.
Bedrooms
The flooring is primarily white marble and engineered wood, while the ceiling is gypsum and teak wood veneer. Cement sheets have been used for paneling and wall cladding.
Fact File
Lights: Trix
Paints: Asian Paints
Sofas: Simone , China
Dining table: Simone , China
Flooring tiles: Imported white marble and wooden flooring.
Image courtesy: Photographix | Sebastian + Ira
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