A renewed design story

Vinita Chaitanya scripts cross-cultural brevity in this Bengaluru home

09 Aug 2024

What can a blank canvas conjure out of its seemingly empty nooks? For Vinita Chaitanya, the poised and equally flamboyant interior designer who’s been a loyal Bengaluru dweller for the past few decades, her answer to a blank canvas is her natural predilection for kindling curiosity — through colours, materials, textures and ingeniously assembled decor adornments.

It’s like a rulebook but more instinctive. The newly transformed home in Bengaluru (once a bare shell) stands as an example of Vinita’s dexterity to speak her mind but through the learned vocabulary of the homeowners, a newlywed young couple who come from different cultural backgrounds.

Vinita Chaitanya at the Bengaluru home; Photography by Gokul Raoo Kadam

A HAVEN-LY RENAISSANCE IN BENGALURU

Pristine, sweeping, sensual yet layered, the home’s ‘after’ story takes from its ‘before’ canvas. A gratifying case study by Vinita in designing homes for the present but as an archetype pieced together for its archival value in the years to come. Burrowed high up on the 22nd floor in a premium locale of the garden city, the apartment is as sprawling indoors as it is panoramic outdoors. Think meditative views of the Cubbon Park that tussle quietly with the highrises around.

Awash in dainty white tones, the apartment is akin to touring a private gallery stamped with the most decadent art finds. Navigating through her signature savvy for material experiments and textural statements, Vinita states, “For me it’s all about the way they (the homeowners) live and how to make it into the most functional yet stylish space to fit their lifestyle,” expresses Vinita.

The boy is a Gujarati raised in Africa with an inclination to Vaastu, while the girl is a Jain raised in Bengaluru. Thus, one sees a mix of Indian and African art and artefacts that blends their cultural heritage, a visual narrative that persists and echoes through every room. “The elaborate custom repousse pieces from Vikram Goyal as the backdrop to the simple lines of the furniture in my own style of eclectic interiors. And the way everything just comes together is magic,” confesses Vinita, while adding, “The blue marble was also a genius find. I’ve used it in inlay patterns in the foyer and as a large inlay carpet in the dining room.”

A VISION FOR SPACE AND STYLING

The initial floor plan of the apartment had one large open space and four ensuite bedrooms plus kitchen, utilities and a balcony. Vinita removed one bedroom and created an entrancing rotunda as a foyer, a dining room with a pantry that opens into the kitchen. A large living room flows into a TV lounge and a pooja room tucked in. The primary bedroom engulfs a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathrooms for her and him. At the entrance, she divulges, “I placed the Seneka given by the girl’s parents and added gorgeous alabaster wall sconces with a modern pendant chandelier to complement its shape, which brings in wonderful warmth, too.”

Exalted with her unique commentary on piecing the interiors together, styling corners and rooms, all while keeping up with the dweller’s initial moodboard, Vinita indeed lays out a recital on home revivals that becomes a vanguard for spatial artistry resonant of personal but shared expressions.

Welcome to ELLE DECOR India’s newest series #EDBeforeAfter where inspiring space transformations give every design savant a reason to bookmark it and refresh their own living coves.