Houzz Tours
Mumbai Houzz: This Home Is Infused With Charm & Clever Design
With hidden doors, invisible handles and subtle facades, there's more to this home by Nishita Kamdar than meets the eye
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: The Yadav family
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Year built: 2018
Size: 107 square metres (1150 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms
Architectural designer: Nishita Kamdar of Studio Nishita Kamdar
Photos by Kunal Bhatia
“A home that should serve as a comfort zone, as well as an extension of our personalities,” read the brief received by Nishita Kamdar, founder and principal architect of her eponymous design studio, Studio Nishita Kamdar. Following the directive, Kamdar rooted her design blueprint in a simple, modern design language that would be as conducive for entertaining as for private family moments.
“One of the biggest challenges of designing homes in Mumbai is the constraint one faces with the budget of the project. With the bulk of the budget reserved for the purchase of the property itself, homeowners are left with precious little for interior design. We are constantly trying to adapt to this challenge through impactful planning and spatial innovation,” says Kamdar.
Who lives here: The Yadav family
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Year built: 2018
Size: 107 square metres (1150 square feet); 3 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms
Architectural designer: Nishita Kamdar of Studio Nishita Kamdar
Photos by Kunal Bhatia
“A home that should serve as a comfort zone, as well as an extension of our personalities,” read the brief received by Nishita Kamdar, founder and principal architect of her eponymous design studio, Studio Nishita Kamdar. Following the directive, Kamdar rooted her design blueprint in a simple, modern design language that would be as conducive for entertaining as for private family moments.
“One of the biggest challenges of designing homes in Mumbai is the constraint one faces with the budget of the project. With the bulk of the budget reserved for the purchase of the property itself, homeowners are left with precious little for interior design. We are constantly trying to adapt to this challenge through impactful planning and spatial innovation,” says Kamdar.
The foyer leads into the living room, where dove-grey sofas, country florals and accents in rose, powder blue and jade preside over the aesthetic.
“We countered the compactness of the home by tying spaces together and camouflaging adjoining walls and nooks with common finishes,” says Kamdar.
“We countered the compactness of the home by tying spaces together and camouflaging adjoining walls and nooks with common finishes,” says Kamdar.
To the far left, a mint-toned terrazzo bar console with brass legs separates the living area from the bar area.
Dying to add colour to your living room but don’t know where to start? This guide has you covered
Dying to add colour to your living room but don’t know where to start? This guide has you covered
The dining room sits adjacent to the living room (after the foyer, to the left). A fourteen-foot-long, live-edge wooden dining table, held by the wood-panelled wall and a concrete base, takes pride of place. Its natural imperfections serve to cure the correctness of the straight lines and cuts around it. Flanked on one side by dining chairs on one side and an upholstered bench on the other, the table acts as a multipurpose piece.
“When the family has extra guests over, they pull the bench across to the living room to ramp up the seating,” says Kamdar.
“When the family has extra guests over, they pull the bench across to the living room to ramp up the seating,” says Kamdar.
Metal and fluted glass sliding doors connect the dining room to the kitchen, providing an extended cooking-cum-dining space when the doors are open, and separate, standalone zones when they are closed.
“The coalescence of the kitchen and dining room helps visually expand the area, and optimises sunlight and cross-ventilation,” notes Kamdar.
“The coalescence of the kitchen and dining room helps visually expand the area, and optimises sunlight and cross-ventilation,” notes Kamdar.
A sweeping wall, clad in veneer and wooden flutes, characterises the dining room wall (to the left of the foyer), extending into a passage that leads to the bedrooms.
“The wall holds discreet doors that conceal existing duct windows, the puja room and storage units. These would otherwise have added to the number of elements that one would see on the wall,” explains Kamdar.
Looking for stylish dining table ideas?
“The wall holds discreet doors that conceal existing duct windows, the puja room and storage units. These would otherwise have added to the number of elements that one would see on the wall,” explains Kamdar.
Looking for stylish dining table ideas?
Wood reigns over the grandmother’s bedroom (at the far end of the passageway), with a chestnut-wood floor, a teak-wood batten headboard and nightstand, and veneered sliding-door wardrobes. An asymmetrically placed bedside lamp highlights the wall to the right, while framed family photographs rest lightly on the headboard, to the left.
“The singular material palette, albeit in varied textures, makes the space look clean, yet detailed,” says Kamdar.
Along the passageway, to the left, is the master bedroom. A palette of ochre, mustard and turmeric warm the daisy headboard and pared-back shell.
“The master bedroom came without nooks or pockets to host wardrobes, so we decided to accentuate the cabinetry with curves. The language of the curves is carried forward in the panelled headboards and circular mirror, which speak to each other effortlessly,” says Kamdar.
“The master bedroom came without nooks or pockets to host wardrobes, so we decided to accentuate the cabinetry with curves. The language of the curves is carried forward in the panelled headboards and circular mirror, which speak to each other effortlessly,” says Kamdar.
A tufted armchair with a complementary footrest highlights the corner opposite the bed, basking beneath the glow of an L-shaped sun-dappled window.
“We wanted to eliminate the use of a false ceiling to retain the 12-foot ceiling height. Hence, we added wall lamps to achieve optimal ambient lighting,” says Kamdar.
Furniture is custom-made; furnishings: Sarita Handa
Looking to spruce up a neglected corner?
“We wanted to eliminate the use of a false ceiling to retain the 12-foot ceiling height. Hence, we added wall lamps to achieve optimal ambient lighting,” says Kamdar.
Furniture is custom-made; furnishings: Sarita Handa
Looking to spruce up a neglected corner?
A deep Wenge media cabinet partitions the living room and bar from the son’s bedroom, which double-hats as a media room. Around the central cabinet, a frame of metal and fluted glass lets in light from the living room beyond, levelling up the interior luminosity.
The room is steeped in floral prints, brooding blues and soft bars of light that slant in through wooden blinds. A sleek workstation, composed of a desk and chair, occupies a corner by the window.
“The custom-made, almost masculine door handles (hidden from view) blur into the shutters of the wardrobe,” says Kamdar.
Read more:
Bangalore Houzz: This Penthouse is a White and Wood Wonderland
Mumbai Houzz: Grey Ceilings & White Walls Expand a 66-Sq-M Flat
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
“The custom-made, almost masculine door handles (hidden from view) blur into the shutters of the wardrobe,” says Kamdar.
Read more:
Bangalore Houzz: This Penthouse is a White and Wood Wonderland
Mumbai Houzz: Grey Ceilings & White Walls Expand a 66-Sq-M Flat
Tell us:
What did you like most about this home? Tell us in Comments below.
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