Mumbai Houzz: A Central Courtyard Opens Up a City Flat to Nature
Architecture BRIO introduces seamless interflowing spaces to let in light and greenery
Vinita Kunnath
11 October 2021
A Houzz India contributor, freelance writer, lover of the internet, travel, funny blogs and all things off-beat, with an eye for good taste and aesthetics. Home, not clothes, maketh a man.....or woman.
A Houzz India contributor, freelance writer, lover of the internet, travel, funny... More
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their son
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Year built: 2019
Size: 290 square metres (3121 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a powder room
Design firm: Architecture BRIO
Photographs by: Ira Gosalia at PHX India
The clients owned a duplex apartment in a newly developed apartment building in busy, suburban Juhu. Their longing for green spaces reflected in their brief to Architecture BRIO: “to design a home that redefined the relationship between interior spaces and the outdoors”. Shefali Balwani, founder and director of the design firm Architecture BRIO, worked alongside the architects of the building to include a covered courtyard in the centre of the apartment, which spanned both floors. This stunning feature, along with seamless interflowing spaces and large windows that let in light and nature in vast swathes, creates a strong indoors–outdoors connection.
Who lives here: A couple and their son
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Year built: 2019
Size: 290 square metres (3121 square feet); 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a powder room
Design firm: Architecture BRIO
Photographs by: Ira Gosalia at PHX India
The clients owned a duplex apartment in a newly developed apartment building in busy, suburban Juhu. Their longing for green spaces reflected in their brief to Architecture BRIO: “to design a home that redefined the relationship between interior spaces and the outdoors”. Shefali Balwani, founder and director of the design firm Architecture BRIO, worked alongside the architects of the building to include a covered courtyard in the centre of the apartment, which spanned both floors. This stunning feature, along with seamless interflowing spaces and large windows that let in light and nature in vast swathes, creates a strong indoors–outdoors connection.
A vestibule enclosed with glass on one side leads past the open courtyard to its left and into the living room. The lower floor comprises separate spaces flowing into one another. This feature, combined with the exposed brick wall and its industrial metal windows, and the concrete floor, gives the apartment a chic loft-like feel. The colour palette sports shades of browns and greens, perfectly in sync with the natural vibe that defines the home.
The brick wall and concrete flooring seamlessly connect the living room to the TV room – an informal space with a large built-in day bed (not seen), which can be closed off when the door slides shut, or used as an extension to the living room when open.
Living room sofas: Bo Concept
Living room sofas: Bo Concept
The double-height courtyard is literally a breath of fresh air in the duplex, perfecting the outdoor-indoor connection. Balwani says, “The variations in shades, textures and tones of the stone floor beautifully complement this green space”. Grass interspersed with tiles and a tall fiddle-leaf fig plant add to the lush verdure.
Look up these courtyards that bring the outdoors indoors
Look up these courtyards that bring the outdoors indoors
The glass partitions, which encompass the courtyard and rise all the way to the floor above, make the apartment appear visually and spatially as one cohesive unit.
Find a remodelling expert on Houzz
Find a remodelling expert on Houzz
The dining room has been finished with earthy tones, contributed by the wooden dining table and the natural fibre lamp over it. Says Balwani, “The dull-green dining chairs not only complement the backdrop of tree canopies outside but also of the green lamps above the neighbouring kitchen island.”
Dining table: Blue Loft; dining chairs: Iqrup and Ritz
Dining table: Blue Loft; dining chairs: Iqrup and Ritz
Full-sized windows and whitewashed walls flood the dining area and the informal eating space with light.
Just off the kitchen island and behind a pair of hinged metal-and-glass doors lies the main kitchen that shines with a rich blue paint finish and satin nickel hardware. A light-grey Caesar stone counter top, along with fluted glass shutters overhead,
complements the blue cabinetry.
Take a look at these 50 fresh kitchen cabinet designs and colours
complements the blue cabinetry.
Take a look at these 50 fresh kitchen cabinet designs and colours
The powder room on the lower floor sports a tropical-themed wallpaper artistically complemented with some real-life foliage.
“A minimal folded MS plate staircase with solid oak timber treads, illuminated by a cascading light fitting, leads to the floor above,” Balwani says.
The large landing area doubles as the family room. Oak-wood floors dominate the rooms upstairs, bringing a cosy warmth to the private quarters.
A fluted glass partition – a recurring characteristic in the house – cordons off the family space from the bedrooms, ensuring privacy.
The passageway from the family area to the bedrooms wraps itself around the central courtyard. It is lined with storage cupboards that showcase family photos. Pale olive green is the colour of choice that continues into the guest room.
The guest room at the end of the passageway is arrived at through a sliding glass-and-metal door. A Murphy bed allows the owners to use the floor space for yoga when the room is not used by guests.
The walls in the master bedroom are designed with a metal wainscoting detail. The crisp light grey of the walls balances the contrast between the oak-wood flooring and the mauve-painted wainscoted base, the combination imparting a stylised and serene vibe to the space. The custom-designed metal four-poster bed can be entirely dismantled.
The master bathroom is fully clad in white marble, accentuated with matte brass fixtures. It consists of his-and-hers vanities, a dual shower, and a built-in bathtub.
The centrally located shower area is flanked by the bathtub on one side and on the other, a marble-and-glass partition wall, that separates the wet and dry areas of the bathroom. A geometric mosaic made of white, cream and grey marble highlights the shower area. Balwani explains, “The floor drain has been disguised in the border around the mosaic and can be lifted open with the help of brass rings”.
The child’s room is made entirely in birch plywood finished in a natural polish – a neutral palette that allows for a child’s changing tastes as they grow. The room, with its monkey bars, is designed to be an evolving playscape. The furniture has been detailed with rounded corners and edges to make it safe for children.
A bathroom clad in slate is attached to the kid’s bedroom.
Tiles throughout the house: Micro; concrete floor: Greenheart Surfaces; wooden flooring: FCML
Read more:
Mumbai Houzz: How to Be Stylishly Minimal in Maximum City
Mumbai Houzz: A Contemporary 3-BHK With a Tropical Vibe
Tell us:
What feature did you like the most in this home? Do tell us in Comments below.
Tiles throughout the house: Micro; concrete floor: Greenheart Surfaces; wooden flooring: FCML
Read more:
Mumbai Houzz: How to Be Stylishly Minimal in Maximum City
Mumbai Houzz: A Contemporary 3-BHK With a Tropical Vibe
Tell us:
What feature did you like the most in this home? Do tell us in Comments below.
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Hi Helen Thanks for flagging that – the pic has now been removed
Although the apartment looks very elegant and serene, it would have been nice to see the actual 2 storey courtyard from the outside. It's very hard to get a sense of its size. Is it a ground/first floor apartment with a courtyard or is the courtyard a balcony? The photos suggests a lush ground floor courtyard but the greenery could be tree tops? A floor plan would definitely have helped.
Still, a very lovely home anyway.
love the courtyard and Mumbai fab city however please no more blue in flats or houses!There are many more colours in the spectrum!