OUT OF THIS WORLD

This neoclassical-inspired Kolkata home by A Square Designs is a palimpsest of mirrored rainbows, sculptural furnishings and celestial-inspired luminaires

- VAISHNAVI NAYEL TALAWADEKAR

Anchored by a rare Paresh Maity painting, the living room balances restraint and grandeur.

Louvred panels reference neoclassical order, while mustard-toned seating from Ravish Vohra Home and Ochre At Home lifts the palette. A chequered ceiling with Leviosa chandeliers establishes rhythm, framing a contemporary reading of 1970s Art Deco neoclassicism. The carpet is a Jaipur Rugs find The home office is a rose-tinted haven, its translucent walls tempering the rigour of work with warmth and whimsy The dining area reprises the foyer's striking flooring. At its heart, an Ochre At Home dining table with a hand-cut, mirrored wooden base highlights artisanal craftsmanship, while an opulent Leviosa chandelier, inspired by tropical flora and fauna, unfurls as a luminous canopy overhead. A Jit Chowdhury mural acts as the room's crown jewel. Chairs by Within complete the setting he thing about interior design, for better or worse, is that it rarely treads the middle ground - clients either love it or loathe it.

When interior designer Ajay Arya, founder and principal of Kolkata-based A Square Designs, was tasked with transforming a 7,000 sq ft bare-shell duplex on the city's coveted Loudon Street for Rashmi and Vishal Saraogi, a couple in their forties, he had little inkling of just how swiftly the verdict - or verdicts - would swing in his favour. "Their daughter developed a keen interest in interior design," says the aesthete - so keen, in fact, that she chose it as her field of study, even going on to intern with Ajay's firm.