Houzz Tours
A Mumbai Flat Celebrates Colour & Upcycled Vintage Furniture
The marriage of colours, vintage designs and smart storage, is what makes this home designed by MuseLAB unique
A comfortable, contemporary space, peppered with pops of colour, old furniture and plenty of books … the clients approached Huzefa Rangwala and Jasem Pirani of MuseLAB with these thoughts in mind. “For this large four-bedroom apartment, we needed to create private spaces in the open-plan living room, give certain rooms a facelift, create a large library for the avid readers in the house and reupholster the beautiful, vintage furniture,” says Rangwala.
Louvred shutters of fluted glass were installed to segregate the foyer from the living room; next to the partition area are chair and stool belonging to the client. “The client already had a lot of old furniture that needed to be upcycled. Take the chair and table at the entrance, for instance. We gave them a fresh coat of paint and reupholstered them with new fabric. The lighting piece here was originally in the living room, but we decided it was better suited for the foyer,” says Rangwala.
See these inviting foyers from Indian homes
See these inviting foyers from Indian homes
The deep-blue colour from the foyer flows onto one of the walls in the living room. “The client liked the marble flooring installed by the developer so we decided to retain it but added a rug-like patch made in white composite and grey quartz to give a decorative quality to the space. This has a certain geometry to it – every row has a different width,” Pirani says.
The living room is divided into three seating areas – a formal seating, a dining area and a den. “The cane sofas belong to the client’s mother – these are 1940s models. We redid the cane work and gave the pieces a more contemporary look. For the backrests, we added tufting on one, and cane on the others. All these changes were made to give a more quirky and whimsical look to the furniture,” Rangwala says.
Rugs: The Rug Republic
Wondering which traditional furniture pieces go well in Indian homes?
Rugs: The Rug Republic
Wondering which traditional furniture pieces go well in Indian homes?
Similarly, the rust and blue coloured sofas were existing pieces where “we played with the detailing of the backrest by adding tufting to them. Many of their centre tables were painted red so we stripped the existing polish to reveal the original sheesham wood. Also, we removed the glass tops and replaced them with customised light and dark grey hexagonal tiles,” says Pirani.
All the lighting points on the ceiling were retained and track lights were installed on them.
Lights: Voylite
All the lighting points on the ceiling were retained and track lights were installed on them.
Lights: Voylite
Since all the members of the family are voracious readers, one of their most stressed-upon requests was to have a sumptuous library. “We didn’t want go in for a traditional, typical library look, so we decided to build one in mild steel and PU coat it – we also chose strong geometrical forms for its design. What’s also interesting is that on the right of library is a sliding unit made in stained pine wood and fluted glass which not only makes the unit look dynamic but gives the clients additional space for keeping books and curios,” Rangwala says.
Under the library unit, the small reupholstered diwan with red sailor’s rope and pintucked fabric doubles as a reading space. To the left of the library is the matriarch’s and the son’s rooms.
Here’s how to achieve a perfect living room layout
Under the library unit, the small reupholstered diwan with red sailor’s rope and pintucked fabric doubles as a reading space. To the left of the library is the matriarch’s and the son’s rooms.
Here’s how to achieve a perfect living room layout
The den area, too, is furnished with original pieces of furniture, reupholstered and polished.
“The client’s wife was extremely involved throughout the redesigning process – she even helped us get in touch with a vendor to design this suar-wood table. The legs are fabricated in steel. She already had six dining chairs; we reused them and made two similar chairs that we upholstered in blue,” says Rangwala. The masks on the wall are the clients’ own, collected during their travels. Small plants are suspended in one corner in mason jars.
Fabric: Bharat furnishings; lights:Voylite
Fabric: Bharat furnishings; lights:Voylite
For the sideboard, the designers had a different form in mind – they didn’t want the regular teak-wood cabinet look. “The idea was to make it appear like a crumpled piece of paper; one that has ripples on it. This effect can only be done with CNC milling, where the machines can carve such designs for you. The top of the sideboard is in leather-finish granite,” says Pirani.
Take a look at these stylish sideboard designs
Take a look at these stylish sideboard designs
The grandmother’s bedroom is awash in soft, subtle tones, complemented by greenery. “The idea was to make it look pleasing and comfortable, like a bed-and-breakfast. Since she loves cane, we decided to add it to the bed’s headboard and the side table. The colour on the wall is a muted green and the fabrics have self floral patterns on them,” says Rangwala.
Furnishings: Freedom Tree
Furnishings: Freedom Tree
For the guest bathroom (next to the grandmother’s room), “we used wooden vitrified tiles in the shower area. On the walls we used subway tiles and added a canary-yellow laminate banding on the ceiling, to match the vanity,” says Pirani.
The son’s bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and a larger-than-king-size custom bed. “The bed is in teak wood and the headboard has an Aztec print on it. We decided to design the wall behind the bed in brick and coloured it white. For the flooring, we used laminate wood in fishbone pattern,” says Pirani.
Lights: Voylite
Lights: Voylite
A wooden TV unit faces the bed and “on one side is the son’s own little library, made in steel,” says Pirani.
Read more:
Mumbai Houzz: An Art Deco Bungalow Gets a Crisp Scandi Makeover
Tell us:
What did you like most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
Mumbai Houzz: An Art Deco Bungalow Gets a Crisp Scandi Makeover
Tell us:
What did you like most about this house? Tell us in Comments below.
Who lives here: A couple and the husband’s mother, a son who visits during college breaks
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Year built: 2017
Size: 185 square metres (2000 square feet); 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
Architectural and interior designers: Huzefa Rangwala and Jasem Pirani of MuseLAB
Photos by: Sameer Tawde
The entrance to the home is marked by a bold deep-blue wall, a customised mirror installation and a wooden shoe cabinet, “which belonged to the client. We gave it a fresh new look by polishing it and adding new knobs. Our idea was to give the home a mid-century modern aesthetic,” says Pirani. On either side of the foyer are the kitchen and storage room.