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    What really is wabi-sabi? Iesha Parekh and Dhaval Shellugar’s home in Bengaluru explores the story of monochromes

    SEP 4, 2024 | By Namrata Dewanjee
    The living room features a customised sofa, artwork by artist Venkatesh. Rug from Carpet Kingdom and chairs from Phantom Hands complimented by coffee table from Westside Living, wooden chandelier from The Purple Turtles; Photography by Nayan Soni
    The living room features a customised sofa paired with chairs from Phantom Hands and a coffee table from Westside Living, rug from Carpet Kingdom. Wooden cabinet from Jodhpur, painted by Venkatesh. Dining and living room screen by The Purple Turtles; Photography by Nayan Soni

    Picture this, sitting by the window in your living room watching the world go by: the honking cars, your curious neighbours or perhaps even arboreal scenery. But planes taking off by the hour? Perched on the 12th floor, designer couple Iesha Parekh and Dhaval Shellugar encounter an unexpected view from their apartment in Bengaluru. What accompanies is an incurable and exotic vacation frenzy. 

    “We appreciate design that is timeless in nature. Our home is a celebration of our love for neutral colours, wood, Indian crafts, local artisans, art, plants, old-world charm and geometry,” reveals Iesha and Dhaval, the founders of TaP Design Inc and FADD Studio. With curios and collectibles, a sense of subtle whimsy echoes in this 2,300 sq ft monochrome home.

    The living space contains a customised linen upholstered sofa with a jute rug by Carpet Kingdom and art by artist Venkatesh; Photography by Nayan Soni

     

    The living room corner features a floor lamp and a wooden chandelier from The Purple Turtles, chairs from Phantom Hands and artefacts from Bali; Photography by Nayan Soni

    An unconventional open-plan

    As if imbibing the openness of the runway, the layout of the home is unobstructed. The living room opens onto the balcony and the dining space, followed by the three bedrooms. The walls and the ceiling are coated in a beige tone, offering a tranquil atmosphere.

    In this continuous space, the flooring indicates the private and public spaces, transitioning from an intimate warm wood in the bedrooms to marble in the living and dining spaces. “We may add a lot of colours for our clients but for our space, we chose to have minimum colours. Our palette comprises beige, off-white, black and wood in most of the spaces,” share the duo. But within that palette, a play of patterns, linen and textures create a sense of unconventionality and wonder.

    Artwork by artist Venkatesh and coffee table by Westside Living paired with chairs by Phantom Hands, illuminated by a wooden chandelier from The Purple Turtles; Photography by Nayan Soni

     

    The living room features a screen and wooden chandelier from The Purple Turtles, chairs from Phantom Hands and artefacts from Bali; Photography by Nayan Soni

     

    The dining room contains a customised teak wood dining table with a planter from Studio Palasa and art pieces on the left-hand side of the wall by artist Venkatesh, work of art on the right-hand side of the wall by cartoonist Mario Miranda; Photography by Nayan Soni

    Designing a second home

    Over a decade of marriage, Iesha and Dhaval have collected a multiplicity of memorabilia. Each object carries a story, expressing the designers’ love for artistry and craftsmanship. Choosing to walk against the grain of trends, their home is crafted with simplicity and warmth. “Our first home was very eclectic! We were very clear about having a home that has the essence of wabi-sabi mood,” adds the two. While the term has gained an enormous presence in the collective design conscience, here wabi-sabi makes an appearance in its textbook avatar. Imperfect, impermanent and never absolute. 

    The bedroom features a bespoke side table and a customised headboard painted by artist Venkatesh with a wardrobe from Gulmohar Lane; Photography by Nayan Soni

    But can design ever have an ending? What happens when two designers sketch out a home for themselves? In the softly lit space, a classic chandelier adorns the living room, below which is a centre table that is delightfully unpolished. Raw wood is polished with wax on the wall as a light panel to highlight the walls.

    From armoires armed with artistic expression to Iesha’s love for plants and nature replete in the home, the space comes alive through nuances and stories. It is best captured in a simple statement by the homeowners, “A home is an expression of love and endless memories.”

    Read more: Gestalt, where the whole surpasses its parts — Inside TaP Design Inc.’s Bengaluru home