Houzz Tours
Mumbai Houzz: May All Going-Away Gifts to Parents Be Like This
See how Sarah Sham of Essajees Atelier wove an idyllic, cosy design story in her parent's home before moving out
Sarah Sham of Essajees Atelier decided to give her parents’ home a facelift and a fresh new lease of life before moving out after her wedding. “My parents bought this home from someone who had done the decor like a dance bar! So there were purple velvet curtains with huge diamonds encrusted on them. In the guest bedroom, the entire bed was made in red crocodile leather and there were sequins everywhere. The house’s design was not aligned with our tastes, so I decided to do it up our way – a neat, clean home. My father has a furniture company that goes back 120 years, and we used a lot of quality materials and techniques from our brand to create a subtle contemporary home,” Sham says. Her atelier is the interior-design branch of the parent (in more ways than one) company, Essajees, founded in the legacy and ethos of the family brand.
The large living room has a warm, earthy vibe. The light-filled space and the neutral, textured walls create an ideal setting for displaying two paintings by Jamini Roy.
“This room’s original ceiling is about 9 feet high, and the false ceiling was bringing it down to 8 feet. During the renovation, we broke down the false ceiling and realised that the room seemed more open and large. And then my father announced that he no longer wanted a false ceiling. That put us in a tough situation because where would we put the lights? So we created fake rafters on the ceiling and laid tubelights on it – it was a functional addition and it also looks like an architectural detail,” says Sham.
See these stunning drawing room colour combos
“This room’s original ceiling is about 9 feet high, and the false ceiling was bringing it down to 8 feet. During the renovation, we broke down the false ceiling and realised that the room seemed more open and large. And then my father announced that he no longer wanted a false ceiling. That put us in a tough situation because where would we put the lights? So we created fake rafters on the ceiling and laid tubelights on it – it was a functional addition and it also looks like an architectural detail,” says Sham.
See these stunning drawing room colour combos
The textured cement walls add personality to the room, and its visual space is expanded thanks to a wall of mirror panelling. “This room had a strange layout – it was a rectangle so we couldn’t simply put chairs on either end of the room. We decided to break up the layout into two seating areas. The one with the sectional is the more casual seating space and the one with the pink sofa is the formal one,” Sham says.
The door next to the mirrored wall, near the ottoman, is in back-painted glass with a mother-of-pearl band. It leads to the master bedroom.
Paint: Asian Paints; floor tiles: Statuario marble; furniture: Essajees and ievo; rug: The Weaver
The door next to the mirrored wall, near the ottoman, is in back-painted glass with a mother-of-pearl band. It leads to the master bedroom.
Paint: Asian Paints; floor tiles: Statuario marble; furniture: Essajees and ievo; rug: The Weaver
The coffee tables in mother-of-pearl and brass were specially designed by Sham. “My father originally wanted an ornate design with peacock patterns embedded on it; however, I wanted keep the look of the space clean, so we kept the surface plain,” she says.
The dining area is a minimal space, enhanced with a custom mid-century dining table made in old teak. “The cabinet behind is made in marine ply, Duco painted. It holds all of my father’s choicest antiques, curios, silverware, vases and precious books,” Sham says.
Dining table: Essajees
Take a look at these storage spaces in dining rooms
Dining table: Essajees
Take a look at these storage spaces in dining rooms
The kitchen continues the contemporary look of the home, with glossy surfaces and a clean black-and-white scheme. “We chose a modular kitchen with an island to make the day-to-day functioning of the home smooth,” explains Sham.
Kitchen: Hacker
Kitchen: Hacker
The master bedroom continues the subtle colour scheme of the rest of the home. “This room was originally quite garish, with shimmering motifs on the wall and gold sequin curtains. Of course, the room was redone a long while back, but during the renovation, we decided to re-style it. We kept it simple and muted, with only a few accents. The wall behind the bed is upholstered in fabric to enhance the snug feeling of the space. The blue curtains add a sense of calm,” Sham says.
Furnishings: Pride Fabrics
Wondering what colour to paint your bedroom walls?
Furnishings: Pride Fabrics
Wondering what colour to paint your bedroom walls?
Sham’s sister’s bedroom was converted into a den-cum-TV-room. “For the wall colour, we sampled different shades of red but didn’t like any. Finally, we hand-mixed red with a bit of black and created this hue,” Sham says.
Furnishings: Bharat Furnishings; lights: Essajees; sofa: Urban Ladder; rug: Rug Republic
Furnishings: Bharat Furnishings; lights: Essajees; sofa: Urban Ladder; rug: Rug Republic
The bedroom that belonged to Sham is now a guest bedroom. It has a simple and fresh look, thanks to the muted colour scheme punctuated with slight pops of yellow and green, and the dainty floral window-blind. “We decided to keep the entire scheme white for a more welcoming, relaxing look,” concludes Sham.
Read more:
Two Mumbai Flats Combine to Create a Chic, Spacious Apartment
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments section below.
Read more:
Two Mumbai Flats Combine to Create a Chic, Spacious Apartment
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments section below.
Who lives here: Durriya and Mohamedi Sham, owners of the 120-year-old antiques and furniture store Essajees
Location: Mumbai
Year designed: 2018
Size: 200 square metres (2153 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 5 bathrooms
Interior designer: Sarah Sham of Essajees Atelier
Photographs courtesy Essajees Atelier
The entrance to the home is marked by a backlit mother-of-pearl jali, “which is a material my father likes a lot and uses in his furniture,” Sham says.