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    A Mumbai home by Tank Design engulfs a clean Scandinavian style with a genius fountain built indoors

    APR 17, 2023 | By Rajlakshmi Dastidar
    The living room displays a white ash centre table from Wootique, rug from Zara Home UAE and chairs from Chair Factory. Glass partition is imagined by Tank Design and the East Indian walnut wood bench is from Wootique. The painting is by Chhavi Khandelwal and the micro concrete floor by Veda Realty. Plants from Ikigai by Neelima adds vibrancy to the space; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    In a rather busy but urbane neighbourhood of Khar in Mumbai, a 1,050 sq ft residence stands wrapped with a visual concept of a raw, clean and minimal design that also combines a wise palette of nature and plants. This creative manoeuvre is helmed by Suraj Manik, Principal Architect of Tank Design, who reveals that the homeowners were as much excited about the interiors of the home and its process as he was.

    Almost every component in the house has been designed and particularly crafted in-house, with just a handful of elements outsourced. Understanding the family’s taste in materiality, dislikes for certain things, and preferred colour schemes was the starting point for the design of the space.  

    The dining area, adjacent to the living room, has dining chairs and tables from Wootique placed under the lights by BoConcept; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    The curious brief

    The home is inspired by Scandinavian design principles, which puts an emphasis on employing a more decluttered, simpler display of furniture and decor — never more, never less — along with concrete flooring, light wood accents for warmth, and black accents for contrast.  

    “I wanted to plan the flow through these different spaces while arranging them so that they reveal themselves slowly as you walk through the house, making you curious to explore it further,” divulges Suraj. 

    The glass partition is assembled by Tank Design. micro concrete floor and walls by Veda Realty are teamed with a solid white ash centre table from Wootique, rug from Zara Home UAE and chairs from Chair Factory. The East Indian walnut wood bench is from Wootique and plants from Ikigai by Neelima; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

     

    The living room features a glass partition by Tank Design, centre table from Wootique, chairs from Chair Factory and painting from Chhavi Khandelwal. Rug is from Zara Home UAE and plants from Ikigai by Neelima; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    Tour every turn of the home

    The zen-inspired architecture blends beautifully with the sublime beauty of nature. With a slatted solid ash wood backdrop from the kitchen to the bedrooms. The hallway leads to the two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. 

    The primary bedroom is one of the two bedrooms, and the informal sitting/media/music room is the other. The latter is a separate area where people can relax, watch TV, listen to vinyl records, or play musical instruments. An electric piano and a pair of guitars transform this area into a jam room, with everything set up so that it can plug in and perform.

    Black and grey micro concrete from Veda Realty becomes a backdrop of the dining area with chairs from Chair Factory and dining table from BoConcept; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

     

    White brick tiles and Chevron Floor tiles from Adenwala and micro concrete walls from Veda Realty is the soul of the kitchen. The knife stand is from Ikea India. The bespoke matte black PU overhead cabinets were done on-site with the chimney from Elica. The unique fountain is designed by Tank Design; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    As soon as you enter the living room, you can see the dining area and begin to detect a theme in the materiality. The house is composed of grey concrete, with white Ash wood furnishings throughout, except a statement bench made of East Indian walnut. A chevron pattern tile floor flows from the kitchen to the fountain area.

    Going further, one will notice a corridor that leads to the bedrooms, complete with a coffee counter, and to the left, a parallel kitchen with yet another gridded glass divider through which the fountain area exposes itself. 

    A black, stained ash wood four-poster metal framed bed along with side tables in the primary room by Tank Design take centre stage. Mirror, spotlights and table lamp are from Ikea India; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

     

    The primary bedroom exhibits a glass partition by Tank Design and a reading corner with a chair and floor lamp from Ikea India. The library unit is in ash wood veneer from Veda Realty and linen curtains from Mordani Interiors; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi
    The primary room’s bathroom features grey wall and floor tiles from Nexion, black brick tiles from Adenwala and matte black bathroom fittings from Aquant India. The blinds in the shower area are by Mordani Interiors and river washed black granite counter is from Adenwala; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    Ideas to bookmark

    Concrete is the winning material of this home. Only three colours, shades of grey, light wood and black are chosen for the materials and finishes used throughout the space. Though, black elements were limited to smaller, more slender elements to offer a slight contrast and to frame views, while white ash wood was used to complement the concrete’s raw, appealing appearance.

    The media room has wooden flooring and linen curtains from Mordani Interiors. A sofa cum bed and centre table from Ikea India is complemented by cushion covers and throws from Nicobar. Electric Piano is from Casio and plants are from Ikigai by Neelima; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

     

    The guest bathroom is a similar construct as the primary bathroom with black brick tiles and river washed black granite counter from Adenwala, white ash wood laminate drawers and matte black bathroom fittings from Aquant India; Photographs by Yadnyesh Joshi

    Being ordered, uncluttered, and immaculate in theory and to the eyes is what outlines the notions of Zen. Sure, the chaos of the city and keeping up with our lifestyles can be demanding, but when you go home, you should be able to unwind and feel liberated from the outside world. Building an exemplary personal cocoon for the family, Suraj sums up the Mumbai home, “We loved the idea of going for a raw, clean, minimalist aesthetic, using natural materials that retain their texture without looking too finished, and the Zen house started to take shape in our heads.”

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