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    A deep midnight blue sets the tone for this home in Mumbai designed by Veeram Shah of Design ni Dukaan

    OCT 3, 2024 | By Fareeda Kanga
    Contrasting a major part of the home, the living room is designed to accommodate a neutral colour palette. The furniture and wall mural at the back is designed by Design ni dukaan and giving them company is a carpet from Jaipur Rugs. However, the unmissable jhoola brings out an Indianness to the surroundings which is complemented with the striking deep indigo sliding doors. The colour finds place throughout the home and forms an integral part of the colour palette; Photography by Ishita Sitwala, Styled by Samir Wadekar
    Artwork by Vaidehi Parikh in the parent’s bedroom renders the space with warmth; Photography by Ishita Sitwala
    Engineered using leftover stone waste, the mural forms the crux of The Mosaic House; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    A home with multiple personalities and diverse needs is also a challenge for architects. Trying to please everyone can sometimes dilute the design process and hinder the end result. Enter architect and former EDIDA winner Veeram Shah of Design ni dukaan who incorporated multiple preferences and translated them into elements that communicate multiple interpretations, yet in sync when combined together in this 2,200 sq ft Mumbai home, designed for five adults—older parents, an elder son with his wife and the younger son.

    Veeram has transformed the entrance into an extensive wall mural showcasing impeccable craftsmanship of stone work; Photography by Ishita Sitwala, Styled by Samir Wadekar

     

    For Design ni dukaan, The Mosaic House serves as a canvas to express artistry through materials; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    “As we tried to formulate the concepts for the house, we decided not to have a linear approach and build and negate as we went ahead. One thing was clear—that we stick to the processes we have developed that involved artisans and craftsmen. We wanted more architectural inserts and wanted to avoid any superficial treatments or objects to beautify the space. The visuals developed eccentrically, adding and subtracting parts, pieces, textures and forms. We fondly started calling the project The Mosaic House,” says the Ahmedabad-based designer.

    The black side table and blue TV unit, both designed by Design ni dukaan along with an artwork by Ravi Mistry craft an abstract visual experience. The use of indigo in decor, which is associated with Lord Shrinathji, depicts that God truly is in the details; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    Although Mumbai homes tend to veer on matchbox sizing, this time a generous floor plate offered Veeram enough opportunity to carve out spaces for the family. The calming entrance is a precursor to the overall aesthetic and actually developed organically.

    The deep indigo sliding door takes cues from vintage TV wood cabinets and acts as a brilliant backdrop for the jhoola. Since the family is adevotee of Lord Shrinathji, Veeram has punctuated the home with a deep indigo hue that is associated with the deity; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    “The lobby design was an insert that developed very intuitively at the end stages of the project. We had decided to use different stones as inlays in each of the rooms symbolic to the diverse personalities in the house. We created a mural out of the left-over stones as an artwork depicting the ‘mosaic’ of various elements that have been used in the house. This signifies that all the users of the house welcome you into their space,” reveals Veeram. “Different elements within the living room, from its furniture pieces to colour palettes define a visual language that add an abstract character to the house,” shares Veeram.

    Striking a pose in the dining area is the voluminous Buxom table by Design ni dukaan, artwork on the wall by Shahanshah Mittal and chandelier by Design ni dukaan in collaboration with Muskan Jain. Dining chairs by Thumbimpressions Furniture and vases from Arjun Rathi Design add a sharp contrast to the surroundings; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

     

    Crafted with a consciousness that keeps it minimal within the realm of materiality, this section of the dining area features a sculpture by Debangshu Moulik and a Pottery Barn cane vase 205; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    A deep indigo, metaphorical of Lord Krishna, permeates the home, from the partition of the worship area to making a striking appearance in furniture. The living room’s material palette is neutral which then graduates and transitions to tinges of colours in the inner spaces. Whilst the dining is marked by an abstract ellipsoid of a grey stone inlaid in the flooring. This needed a strong sculptural form for the dining table which was designed and executed in-house.

    Bow, not just to the Shrinathji mural crafted by Design ni dukaan, but also to the design prowess of the worship area. Eliminating continuous linearity, he partition in deep indigo not only defines and holds the space together but also allows for meditation in complete isolation as well as opens out to large gatherings; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    The dining light was designed as a metaphorical reflection of the shape of the flooring inlay. One of the mentioned aspects of the design brief was that the mandir space should allow enough sitting for a daily puja and also open out to larger gatherings. This resulted in eliminating linearity of the continuous wall while introducing a flexible character to its openings.

    The bed linen is from EDIDA winning Abstrac Home and the vases are a part of the homeowner’s collection; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    With the most concise floor plan, the parent’s room is designed to stay clutter-free with furniture incorporating details as per their needs. Two-rooms are combined to create one space for the elder son’s room with multifunctional furniture. And completing the marvelous mosaic is the younger son’s bedroom that provided the freedom to experiment with bold and dynamic forms.

    With simple yet artistic furniture from Design ni dukaan, the bedroom successfully eliminates extra add-ons allowing for clean and clutter-free surroundings; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

     

    The wardrobe design gives a clear indication of their affinity towards abstraction and modernist movements; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    “The side tables were one of our favourite elements in the house. Designed especially for this project, it was an experiment in abstraction of inverse forms; deconstruction of circular elements piercing each other,” says Veeram. The trick in pleasing everyone has been achieved over layers of dialogues and discussions that were used to formulate the overall experience of the house.

    Using marble sourced from a local vendor in Kishangarh, team Design ni dukaan created inlays in the flooring of the younger son’s bedroom. On the wall hangs a light by Design ni dukaan and on the Divalent table is a lamp from Arjun Rathi Design; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

     

    Fixtures from Jaquar and basin from Crio in the bathroom add an understated panache to the otherwise bold theme; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

    The spaces and their elements embed details that reflect onto the daily routines of the users’ lives. Bringing the marvel in marvelous, Veeram concludes, “The flooring was also treated in the form of a space, as an entity where the reflections of the totalitarian approach is visible. With neutral tones and nuances to create pauses in different spaces of the house, the flooring becomes a connecting element. As one enters the private rooms, an accent colour is introduced to create subtle gestures of identities that are linked to each space.”

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