Balancing Act

Architect Nina Puri mixes the traditional and trendy for a traditional joint family of Mumbai.

- Ambica Sharma

This home for our family is what my husband and I have been dreaming about for the past couple of years,’ says the smiling lady of the house, as she sits perched comfortably on the edge of the bed in the master bedroom. While the couple and the in-laws walk the fine line between old and new worlds, their teenage sons are typical Gen Next. Architect Nina Puri, who designed the home, has stayed true to her design idiom of clean and clutter free lines, accentuated by natural light, easily marrying traditional and modern.

The family is a great believer in vaastu, so a specific need was to have the entrance to the house lit 24 hours, and be adorned with crystals. Nina created recessed lighting niches, dotted with nuggets of crystal, topped by an onyx panel. The entrance lobby is clad in wood veneer, with a traditionally dark stain, but a chic new-age grain covers a tightly slatted pattern resembling a bar code. Right next to it is another old favourite, a granite slab partition. It has been used as a privacy screen for the dining area. Nothing new about this except, that the Italian granite’s shiny polished finish has been stripped and what we have instead is an eye-catching catching finish resembling leather. This clever mélange of classic colours, materials, and new textures, in the form of furnishings and artefacts, continues in the living room – chocolate-coloured faux leather sofas on sleek brass frames, a single centre table instead of two circular tables and a large, low seat.