Handcrafted tranquillity

Less is more, keep it simple, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication… the Grey-Ceiling Home designed by SML Architects in Mumbai is living proof of all these popular aphorisms.

Deepa Nair

When architect Mahek Lalan first walked into the 720-square-foot apartment on the 22nd floor of a suburban Mumbai high-rise, he was greeted by large windows which offered views of a dense landscape nearby and the skyline of the Maximum City beyond. Now that’s a fantastic prospect for most Mumbaikars considering the cookie-cutter homes we live in, with few pleasant sceneries (read nature) to meet our eye when we look out of our windows. Amusingly, nature dictated the whole design of the 2BHK home we feature here. But before we get to this part, let’s get some routine information — like the client brief — out of the way. “From the couple of meetings that we had with the clients before starting work on site, we realised that they had led a very simple life… that for us was the starting point for the design of the house and also the selection of the materials. They were extremely open in letting us set the brief for the project,” the architect says. “Unlike others for whom we design homes in Mumbai, this particular client didn’t require a lot of storage space in the house as the family led a very minimal lifestyle.”