Vignettes of Style

Revelling in textures, colours and forms, this effortlessly stylish second home designed by Gaurav Kharkar & Associates near Mumbai celebrates togetherness in a chic environment.

- Rupali Sebastian

Not many of us are blessed with the option of having a home away from home, a private sanctuary that allows you to recoup from urban demands on mind and body. And when the possibility of creating such a getaway within the proverbial earshot of the city exists, the temptation is too strong to ignore. So it was for Mumbaibased Mahendra Mehta, who had owned this plot in nearby Lonavala for some years. There was no question of scouting for a professional to do the job. It had to be Gaurav Kharkar & Associates who would be entrusted with the task of realizing Sita Villa, emotively named after Mehta’s wife, as the architect had worked with Mehta on previous occasions, building, among other things, a relationship of trust and understanding.

“He gave us a simple brief, that his standalone bungalow had to be spacious with a lot of cross ventilation and natural light,” says Gaurav Kharkar, principal architect of the firm. “He was quite all right with having fewer rooms, but wanted the home to be spacious… and grand.”The creative vision was simple yet thoughtful: create a casually chic home (after all, it was a place meant to unwind) that would be connected to the natural surroundings. The 6,000-squarefoot bungalow that is the culmination of this exercise includes a living area, a dining area, a kitchen, five spacious bedrooms, an entertainment room and a terrace area. The energizing presence of nature would be felt from almost all the rooms, with large windows in the living room, master bedroom and the lounge area offering stunning views of the Sahyadris.