Seeking Sukoon: This Mumbai home by Esha Pandya lays out lessons in the luxury of white

What is a quintessential Bombay-style apartment? This question unravels umpteen answers at this home in Mumbai designed by Esha Pandya. Think reminiscent yet novel. Classic yet contemporary. 

“The attempt was to transport the experiencer across two ends — from the outside chaotic world to the quiet, transcendental world inside,” says Esha, the founder and creative head of her eponymous firm. Standing a class apart with its paradoxical persona, the space designed for a couple in their sixties, continues to develop as one tours its polished passages. Concealed within Malabar Hill’s labyrinth and aptly christened Dahleez, the 1,750 sq ft home stands at the threshold of nostalgia and novelty. 

Don’t be deluded by the nuanced decoration, which stripped to a bare minimum, speaks volumes with resounding ease. “I was intent on designing this space such that it aided in reclaiming a sense of sukoon,” she says. “I kept the company of timeless ghazals that teleport you instantly to a slow life of the yesteryears.” Drenched in vanilla white, it spotlessly champions minimalism with a strict no-frills attached philosophy. 

Archways to escapism 

The upscale haven boasts two ensuite bedrooms, a kitchen cum utility area and a living room. Across the dahleez, one is greeted by an esoteric textured painting by Nimrit Narang in the foyer. “It gives a sneak peek into all the materials celebrated throughout the space. Stones, mosaic, linen wallpaper, open-grained wood veneers and soft organic shapes,” Esha explains.

Venturing further into the serene sanctuary, the main bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe on the right commands undivided attention. Meanwhile, two soft-edged arches on the left lead to the living room, complete with bespoke knot sconces. Esha determinedly curated this space to mimic an oasis for immediate escapism. “The sun-filled living room is intentionally designed to draw you towards stillness.”

Stellar transformations

The pièce de résistance, though, is the bedroom-turned recreational den comprising a mini library, bar and audiovisual capability. “This multitasking ability, a much-loved quality in tight Bombay apartments, allows the luxury of a larger living space and the ability to host a guest in the transitional third bedroom,” Esha reasons. 

With reimagined classic interiors, nostalgia beckons at every nexus to offer respite from banal urbanity. Bombay’s bygone era supersedes modern Mumbai’s monotony with elements borrowed from the city’s legacy Art Deco aesthetic. 

Circular mosaic inlay work spreads on the marble floor, while a deco chest of drawers graces the primary bedroom.   

Nurtured by Nature

Eager to infuse nature’s tranquil touch, Esha adopted a technique of repetition and barefoot luxury. The tone-on-tone palette and metallic accents echo this very ethos. “A Radermachera plant was embedded in the low baithak placed in the communal heart of the home, to capture the spirit of sitting on a solitary bench in a garden,” she explains. 

Ironically, this minimalist space is a happy consequence of practising restraint and letting go of some ideas! “The creative process was like a sieve. Any idea that did not support the design intent was not allowed to pass into the space. What remains is what you get to see!”

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