Revival For The Hautest

While creating couture label Varun Bahl’s flagship store in south Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda, MuseLab rejuvenates a shoe-box-like space by liberating its architectural bones and infusing it with an aesthetic flavour that dovetails period elements and contemporary forms.

- Rupali Sebastian

Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda needs no introduction. A vibrant node of cultural activities, it has a compelling visual narrative, established by an ensemble of heritage architectural jewels from styles ranging from Neo-Classical to Indo-Saracenic. When artist-couturier Varun Bahl — known for his immaculately-crafted sartorial creations that embody the meeting of the old and the new, in an avant-garde, non-conformist manner — decided to establish his flagship store in such a precinct, he was clear that he wanted a local architect to work on the project. With fashion consultant Sabina Chopra recommending MuseLab, known for their ‘precise focus on unique and highly customized environments, interiors and furniture’, it was a case of like attracting like.

However, a synergistic outlook and kinship over attention to detail and penchant for creating bespoke designs did not automatically mean easy resolutions of spatial decisions. “We went through three diametrically opposite design iterations over a year before finally nailing it down,’ recalls Huzefa Rangwala, alumnus of Georgia Institute of Technology, traveller, passionate photographer and a self-proclaimed foodie, who founded MuseLab in 2012 with partner Jasem Pirani upon a shared passion for design. “Of course, it is difficult when your client is also an acclaimed fashion designer and belongs to the creative field — but in this case, we were blessed that Varun went ahead with our creative instincts once he was convinced that we aligned with his vision and what he wanted to achieve out of the Bombay [sic] store.”