The Memory Keeper

Emitting warmth and positivity, the Khemlani home in Pune, designed by architect Rubel Dhuna, is a big treasure box filled with natural light, airiness and some stellar bespoke furniture, lighting and decor accessories.

- Deepa Nair

Some stories have a series of mini-tales hidden in them… and the exquisite Pune home of the Khemlanis we feature here has some rather beautiful ones to tell. I heard the very first one from its creator — the hugely talented architect Rubel Dhuna who heads her namesake firm Rubel Dhuna Architects in Mumbai — much before I saw the project. “Hema and Tarun Khemlani saw our work first in your magazine, Better Interiors, and that is how they got in touch with us to design their home,” the architect disclosed, referring to the stunningly simple Mumbai office of a young lawyer couple we featured almost two years ago. “The simplicity and earthiness of the space really caught my attention. Rubel’s designs were subtle and understated yet at the same time striking,” explains the lady of the house when probed on what impressed her most about the architect’s work. But before we get into details, let us backtrack a bit to where it all started.

The story began when Tarun decided to move the headquarters of his family business from Mumbai to Pune. He heads the well-known Cradle Runways (a part of the CleanIndia Group), a company that provides cleaning systems for glass buildings across India. The Khemlanis — Hema, Tarun and their sons Vir and Arjun — have been residing in Pune for the last 10 years, and wanted to move into a house that was spacious and had an abundance of natural light. Their search ended at a 4-BHK, 2,000 square-foot apartment, with an open-air deck extension, at Waterfront Apartments by Panchshil realtors located in Kalyani Nagar. Rubel and her team walked into a typical four bedroom with attached bathrooms space with a closed kitchen. Additionally, there were air-conditioning ducts running through the living area, which lowered the ceiling and divided the space in smaller zones. Though roomy, the house was disjointed.