Homes

A montage of eclectic elements define this quiet suburban Mumbai apartment, crafted by Noorein Kapoor like a trendy Pinterest mood board for the young couple who reside here

NOV 17, 2022 | By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani
The trendy tan Excella Experts armchair contrasts with the blue and ivory sofa, both by Pinakin Patel. The earthy Jaipur Rugs jute carpet is layered with a stylish Hatsu rug. The West Elm coffee table is minimal and dressed with candles from Gur Organics x Artisan Lab. Two black-and-white artworks created by NKD Studio complete the space; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

It is tough to put your finger on any one distinctive vibe. And that is actually the most remarkable feature of this charming 1,600 sq ft apartment in the quiet neighbourhood of Khar in Mumbai.

As you walk through the home, the mood is eclectic. A mixture of textures, styles and colours make this space edgy and casually lived-in at the same time. Noorein Kapoor’s young, newly-wed clients, Karan Mehta and Krutika Patel, flooded her with their Pinterest moodboards, a lot of which became inspiration for this house. “Let’s just address the elephant in the room first,” smiles the interior designer who is also the creative director at her namesake studio Noorein Kapoor Design (NKD), “Social media is a given today. The use of Pinterest and Instagram is common, almost unspoken between designers and clients.” In this case, it eliminated certain stages of the design process and became an interesting gateway for the three of them to edit their story using these concepts as a base and then making it their own.

Forming a stark contrast the walls of the living room are colour-blocked in dark neutral grey making the home look bigger; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

The apartment opens first into the dining area, not the most ideal location but the only optimal solution when it was planned by Noorein.

The in-built bar with an internal area that opens into a retro pop coloured cabinet with bold stripes is created by NKD Studio; Sleek dining chairs from Rocking Chairs in black, white and grey frame the six-seater Pinakin Patel dining table creating a quaint composition; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

The open-plan kitchen is right by the dining table, its cool blue island rendered perfect against black shutters, bold striped flooring and grey finishes. Both blend seamlessly into the living room. Much like the striped kitchen floor, the dashing pop striped bar unit or the classical black-and-ivory inlay credenza by the dining table, little audacious corners of the home are conversation points.

A sliding centre panel wall made of ply and veneer from Material Connection divides the living and guest room with solid light oak tone study table from Freedom Tree, orange upholstered chairs from Hatsu, green pendant light from Aerglo and a carpet from Altrove. The charming green library unit was designed in-house by NKD Studio; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

Everything balances out eventually, with simple hints like a muted charcoal veneer or a stark Scandinavian coffee table. Clean lines dominate the living room furniture in a soothing blue, ivory and tan palette. 

The most important direction was of course versatility in design—with sliding doors that connect and open up various spaces of the home and manage to convert the cleverly designed multifunctional guest bedroom into a den, library, study or an extension of the living room.

Layered beautifully in different shades is the study corner; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

Afterall, smartly designed and neatly lit work-from-home space is pretty much the keyword in interior decor since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. It is also clear in the quirky touches and bold splashes of smooth millennial blue, pink, teal and oak that bring out the base tones of black and grey throughout.

The gold finished black flute panel dressing unit is a set of two, designed in the NKD Studio workshop. A black and white terrazzo piece forms the mirror platform. The chair is from Rocking Chair, white vase from Mason Home and the chandelier seen in the mirror is from Hatsu; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

The large windows, the use of plants, hints of green and even the out-of-the- blue tropical wallpaper in the den, pay a soft tribute to the trending tropitecture influence in design. The space is colour-blocked yet balanced, off-set with the very hip use of concrete finishes. The layering too is on trend—almost like a thoughtful anarchy of disparate design elements, like a distinctly Scandinavian coffee table, layered carpets, oakwood floor set in herringbone and a mad pop coloured bar. 

An eclectic addition to the guest bedroom is the black and white tropical wallpaper from Kalakaari Haath. The bed was customised in the NKD Studio workshop and is dressed with bed pillows and linens from Sarita Handa and Gur Organics x Artisan Lab, accompanied with a black floor lamp from The White Teak Company; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

 

An eclectic addition to the guest bedroom is the black and white tropical wallpaper from Kalakaari Haath; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

“This was the first place that we were to call our home,” smiles Krutika, 32, co-founder of start-up Style Podium. Her husband Karan, 31, who runs his own biomedical start-up Life Bound, was also extremely involved in the decision-making process—a true team of differing tastes that came in sync quite effortlessly.

The dining area leads into the kitchen via slim glass sliding doors. The stone jug on the island kitchen is from Sarita Handa and the bubble chandelier is from Aerglo. In-built appliances keep the aesthetic clean and minimal; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

 

Bars stools from IKEA become a breakfast nook with a backdrop of the blue central kitchen island. The open concept kitchen from Elementra Kitchens & More is finished in grey with black shutters and framed sliding glass doors; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

The highlight of this apartment is its absolute sense of fluidity, made possible by a subtle jigsaw of four different types of sliding door systems that connect the various parts, thus freeing up space and movement for the residents. And there is a certain geometry and functionality of decor that defines this fluidity—the undisputedly favourite aspect of the home for Noorein and the couple.

The tall white crockery unit from IKEA and blackand- white credenza from DeeTee Home with Mason Home vases add a hint of quirk; Photography by Pulkit Sehgal

“Our home needed to be a reflection of smaller details brought together beautifully to make a space that resonates with us,” says Krutika. It is the medley of elements here that is truly engaging. Like the guest bedroom’s bold tropical print wallpaper, which is elegantly finished in black and white— thus, becoming both dramatic and understated.

With this are the green touches in the bathroom with Art Deco style subway tiles, the emerald of the library unit and the pops of blue or orange that all come together to conspire with the two distinctly neutral tones—the many shades of grey and the gentle touches of nude and cream.

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