High above Mumbai’s forested edge

DIG Architects let stone, oak and curves thread through the apartment

30 Jul 2026

Step inside and the home begins to move. Not in the way rooms usually do, leading you from one space to the other; but scene to scene, the way a movie does, dissolving one frame into the next, until you are no longer touring the apartment so much as experiencing it in motion. This approach seems to be a classic manoeuvre by Advait Potnis and Amit Khanolkar, principal architects at DIG Architects who designed a four-bedroom apartment in Mumbai.

There is a visual, weightless quality to living at Montage House, a 2,500 sq ft sprawl. High above the dense streets on the 25th floor, with Sanjay Gandhi National Park’s forest stretching into the horizon, the home barters the city’s relentless pull for layered greens, morphing skies and a rare sense of distance. “Throughout the year, the house frames the changing seasons, spanning both sides to forge a connection between the indoors and outdoors,” shares Advait, who worked alongside Fenil Gala, Senior Architect at DIG Architects.

“Throughout the year, the house frames the changing seasons, spanning both sides to forge a connection between the indoors and outdoors”

Advait Potnis and Amit Khanolkar

DIG Architects — The living area is anchored by the Farooo table lamp from Moooi and Ekapada sculpture by Atelier Ashiesh Shah; Photography by Ishita Sitwala

The larger picture

The house refrains from celebrating individual rooms as standalone destinations. Instead, it finds its strength in the relationships between them. “The concept of a montage is embraced as a guiding principle. We draw from its ability to craft a fluid, interconnected narrative,” says Amit. “It emphasises continuity, allowing disparate elements to merge into a cohesive story. Every component contributes meaningfully to a unified whole rather than existing in isolation or contrast.”

Look up

The duo intentionally resists treating the ceiling as rigid. Sharp, perpendicular corners yield to curved, softer lines that become the abode’s central motif, drawing the gaze in sweeping arcs. Advait explains, “The idea was to frame the park’s omnipresent view by gently curving the ceiling and concealing the peripheral beams. Each space is well defined by its ceiling, which curves to soften the room’s corners while lending them a sculptural elegance.”

One glance across any room reveals a delectable, considered palette. Flitting reflections, varying hues and rich textures comprising jewel-like multi-Jasper stone and grained oak veneer establish the dwelling’s visual rhythm. “Instead of concentrating hues in a single space, the materials are dispersed throughout, elevating each room’s character,” the architects say. The bathrooms, too, are envisioned as restorative retreats, sheathed in natural stones that showcase an inherent beauty.

Tethering spaces

Montage House derives its character from the dialogue between shifting light and sculptural form, with materials that punctuate the layout like bookmarks. Take, for instance, the living and dining space. The open layout, fringed at one end by large glazing, weaves the interior into the rolling landscape. At the same time, the spatial flow across the dining, bar and kitchen fosters a similar fluidity, keeping inhabitants connected throughout.

Rest and repose

A space the studio especially relished designing is the master bedroom. The vault-like form of the ceiling in oak veneer gives the bedroom visual continuity, making the room feel sculpted. “The curved ceiling demanded a high level of precision in execution. The grains needed to align consistently across the surface, and the patterns had to be matched so the curvature reads as continuous and not fragmented segments,” Amit says of the ceiling’s construction.

The oak veneer extends from the walls to envelop the ceiling, granting the space a sanctuary-like quality. Following suit, the apartment’s other bedrooms echo something similar; the interplay of diverse textures, curated artworks and sculptural elements brought together with a discerning eye. What lingers long after a rendezvous with Montage House is not a singular visual statement but a kaleidoscopic image of a home.