Gaurav Kharkar & Associates imagines this sea-facing Mumbai home into a neoclassical collage

Merging a visual translation of the sedating yet bold waves of the Arabian Sea crashing against the shore with the fast-moving metropolitan life of Mumbai, a home in the southern stretch of Worli brings everything around it to a standstill — such is its design vocabulary. Vidhita Parekh Kharkar, Principal Designer at Gaurav Kharkar & Associates, along with Gaurav Kharkar, spearheads a design narrative around a pre-existing structural pillar in the living room and converts it into the focal point and the overarching theme of the 1,800 sq ft abode. 

“We thought of hand painting the pillar from a local artist, depicting a series of neoclassical doors and windows with few mouldings dividing each floor, set one above another and the topmost row as a cute baluster detailed railing. Thus the perfect amalgamation of modern and neoclassical themes evoke a sense of elegance and exquisiteness,” explains Vidhita.

Painting the canvas

“The idea was to make the house feel bigger and more interconnected with one another. It has an open space plan,” she adds. Brick walls were knocked down one after the other with the intent of reassembling these pieces to an evident puzzle of a minimally elevated space.

Inspired by white walls and panelling styles of French houses, the foyer is adorned with a dark green console, pink pouffe and a classic chandelier with its light bouncing off the black and white granite marble flooring. Walking through the arched openings, the eyes fall on the hand-painted pillar, the eponymous element of inspiration behind the name of the residence, ‘The Pillar House’. The living room reveals a blend of curves and straight edges, neutrals and pastels, with the pillar standing tall and proud adorning drawings of neoclassical doors, windows and mouldings. 

A kitchen carved as an extension of the living room is sectioned off with metal and glass, coated in Italian marble countertops, with steel framed windows. “Opting for an all-white kitchen can instantly make a space feel bigger thanks to the shade’s light-reflecting nature,” adds Vidhita. The best part? The bar on the island comes alive at parties and hides away for sneaky sips when not needed to be displayed in its full glory.

Many shades of repose

Following a design style completely distinct from other rooms, the primary bedroom hosts an island bed with a headboard finish in two bright-coloured velvet fabrics. With black tinted and cane-sandwiched glass shutters, the wardrobe sits atop the white terrazzo step-up area behind the bed. A dusty rose pink couch is tucked away in the curved corner of the TV panel, creating a cosy nook in the bedroom. 

A Parisian-inspired TV room with muted tones doubles up as a guest room, with a green Murphy bed set against the artwork panel. 

In the son’s room, the space is highlighted with a grey-dominated colour palette, livened with just the right amount of blue and followed by an all-black ceiling to enhance the feeling of looking at a starry night. 

A neoclassical montage

Following the theme as elaborated by Vidhita, the home is an “Amalgamation of modern and neoclassical elements.” Each room has its identity but is still connected through the use of design elements and hues of pink, green and blue. The inspiration behind the home and its name, the pillar is initially taken up as a challenge, which now poetically stands as a convincing design outcome for the home and the homeowners. 

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