For architect Rooshad Shroff, there are few things greater than a blank canvas. So was the case a few years ago, when he took on the design reins for a new project in Mumbai’s Worli — a 3,500 sq ft seafront apartment, created by combining three neighbouring sea-facing flats. Except, unlike his other projects, this one posed a conundrum or three. “Originally built as a hotel, the building had a very strange layout, terribly low ceilings and ceiling beams that zigzagged across the interior,” shares Rooshad, the former EDIDA winner, and founder and principal of his namesake Mumbai-based multidisciplinary firm, whose team also included architect Shonit Kotian.
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The informal lounge is a sunlit sanctum with a diptych by T. Venkanna, sofas by Poltrona Frau and a pair of Hearst tables by Rooshad Shroff. The cushion is a custom Maximiliano Modesti design and the sofa runner is by Hermès. Several accents, including the candles in the foreground and the ribbed vase to the right are Rooshad’s own design; Photography by Pankaj Anand
The home originally came with no terrace or balcony, so it was up to Rooshad to create one. Pictured here is the living room deck, achieved by pulling the room inwards. It plays host to outdoor furniture from Rolf Benz. The formal living room exudes lightness of being with C-chairs by Rooshad Shroff in collaboration with T. Venkanna. Of the two sofas from Poltrona Frau, the one to the right has a console extruding from the backrest. Artwork on the wall by Prashant Pandey and a coffee table by Case Design enhance the setting, underpinned by a Jaipur Rugs carpet. The curtains, here and throughout the home, are from Simone Naturally Inspired Living; Photography by Pankaj Anand
Downsizing from seven bedrooms to two, produced another predicament for the architect, who additionally conceived the blueprint to include formal and informal living rooms, a dining room, a study, a gym and a den. The incongruent ceiling beams weren’t just a cosmetic curiosity, they were also a tad too low for their rather tall owner, a gentleman for whom the home was emblematic of a new beginning.
An Alabaster Capsule Swivel lamp and a majestic bonsai grace the foyer; Photography by Pankaj Anand
Refinishing the unsightly ceiling beams in a mushroom hue was Rooshad’s first sleight of hand. “It was an architectural oddity that we really leaned into,” avers the architect, who casts attention upwards with lighting details and wave-like edges that hold a mirror to the ocean beyond. The bid not only helped camouflage the overarching ducts and wiring, but also flipped the script by turning the formerly awkward appendages into the home’s tour de force.
Opening into the foyer is the dining area. The painting, a staggering 16 feet wide, is by artist T. Venkanna. Atop the sideboard, a marble lamp and an alabaster candle, both Rooshad Shroff’s designs, take pride of place. A sculptural plate by B. V. Doshi from Rooshad Shroff’s The Gyaan Project, dazzles on the Porro dining table. The chairs are by Poltrona Frau; Photography by Pankaj Anand
As someone considered an éminence grise in the Indian art firmament (he is closely associated with Maskara Gallery), the homeowner had a caveat — the interior should be designed around his art. For Rooshad, that meant muting the material palette and predesignating pieces.
A peep into the den-cum-study, cocooned in undulating timber. A sofa and chair from BoConcept, enlivened by a runner and cushions by Hermès, frame the Rolf Benz coffee table on two sides. A Poltrona Frau desk and chair make for a cosy study corner. A T. Venkanna artwork punctuates the wall, while plants from Passion Green add a dose of freshness. The lamps and chess board are Rooshad’s own creations; Photography by Pankaj Anand
And so he did. By mirroring the warm-hued wood of the ceiling beams on the walls and maintaining bluish-grey marble flooring in the living and dining areas, he created a counterpoint for the shell, cured in daisy, to echo the sun-blanched coastline.
The guest bedroom is enlivened by wood and white tones that serve as counterpoints to one another. The bed and rocking chair are by Poltrona Frau, as is the nightstand. The gilded lamp is a Paul Matter design, while the ink and dye artwork is by Sohan Quadri. An Hermès bed runner, custom cushions by Maximiliano Modesti and a Jaipur Rugs carpet serve as tactile additions to the hard-lined shell. The wardrobe is by Porro; Photography by Pankaj Anand
“From the beginning, we had to be mindful of making space for large works,” Rooshad observes. His words ring true in the objects d’art on display, unsheathed from the prized vaults of Maskara Gallery. Chief among them is a 16-foot-long T. Venkanna work in the dining area, a realist opus by Parag Sonarghare in the primary bedroom and a pair of larger-than-life, gilded leaf sculptures by Prashant Pandey, resplendently displayed in the living room.
The primary walk-in closet is characterised by warm wood tones. A T. Venkanna artwork animates the pared-back space. The wardrobe is by Porro; Photography by Pankaj Anand
Just as important, if not more, was forging a connection with the outdoors. Given that the building was intended as a hotel, the interior was designed like a glass box devoid of balconies and terraces — hardly ideal for a home with a scintillating sea view on three sides. “Because we were lucky enough to have the luxury of space, the client was happy to give up some of the interior square footage in favour of a terrace,” notes Rooshad. So was born the idea of a balcony off the living room: an al fresco oasis that fulfils a happy bouquet of roles. Some evenings, it’s used for entertaining; on others, for quiet reflection. It has something for each moment, no matter the hour or occasion. For the homeowner, it is a home of new beginnings, indeed.
The ocean stays faithful to the primary bedroom, as it basks in natural light. The bed, a Poltrona Frau design, is sheathed in an Hermès throw and overarched by an artwork by Parag Sonarghare. Beneath it is a Jaipur Rugs carpet. The cushions and table are by Maximiliano Modesti and Rooshad Shroff in collaboration with T. Venkanna respectively. By the window, an armchair and footstool by Rolf Benz provide a welcome teatime perch; Photography by Pankaj Anand
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