STEP INSIDE A THEATRICAL AGE

What would a Parisian respond to an Indian palette? Vaishali Kamdar and Komal Sanghavi Vasa come together to design this answer at a South Mumbai residence

- TEXT BY PRATISHTHA RANA PHOTOGRAPHY BY SULEIMAN MERCHANT

Is this in Provence, South France? Have I teleported back to the beautiful origins of Art Deco or is this somewhere between the Regency-era Europe and the Mediterranean terrains? These thoughts without abandon kept my gaze affixed at the entryway as I stood inside this home in South Mumbai that unravelled alive with a multitude of expressions at the very onset. Think an enigmatic red artwork gently brushed with daylight; the disciplined linearity of black and white striped flooring, and the curved boundaries of soft-white walls meeting an ochre-toned dome on the oval ceiling above. For me, so much to see. For the home, so much to tell! A short expedition up on the high-rise’s floors, the residence for a family of four stands emblematic of urban Indian homes going through a roaring renaissance — a decisive, almost inherent rejection of common, templatised Indian dwellings, fronted by Vaishali Kamdar of her eponymous firm and Komal Sanghavi Vasa of Gesamt Design, for whom this home is their fourth such collaboration. And fourth such triumph together to create something extraordinary. The 3,000 sq ft abode sheds the skin of overused checklists and parading of repetitive aesthetics. Instead, it subscribes itself to methodical planning, finding solutions that respond to utility as well as artistry, and regular conversations with the homeowners, drawing from their spiritual beliefs and cultural roots. "The family was keen on using classical overtones and detailing," reveal Vaishali and Komal, who balance their individualistic yet unified ways of design experiments with grace. Wrapped in layered aesthetics, the focus is on jewel tones, exquisite materials and visual patterns of interest that declare the homeowners' love for contemporary-classical interiors and collecting rare art and antiquities. “Imagine being a collector of Indian art in Paris. Let's design the house through that lens. What would a Parisian respond to out of an Indian palette — this was the narrative