How to: flow, frame, flatter

In Mumbai, PKD Studio makes space for scale, soul and sculpture

05 Aug 2025

This home doesn’t have rooms — it has pockets of pause, productivity and play. Spread across 12,000 sq ft and four levels, Grand Chateau in Mumbai isn’t just a house you walk through, it’s one that you explore. Designed by PKD Studio’s founder, Prachiti Khanvilkar, what was once an industrial shell is now a deeply personal, multi-dimensional home complete with an art studio, gym and sun-drenched terraces.

Each floor speaks a different language, some grounded in function, others in lifestyle, but all of them are held together by a careful choreography of material, light and form. From fluted marble details to curved thresholds, this isn’t a home that follows a typical blueprint; it builds its own spatial rhythm, one frame at a time.

“The homeowner, a traveler with deep appreciation for natural materials, envisioned a home that exudes warmth without excess” — Prachiti Khanvilkar

Ground Floor: An arched wall frames the lounge area; Photography by Prashant Bhat

PRIORITISE FLOW, DON’T STACK

From the outside, the home appears as a singular volume, but as you move inside, it begins to unfold vertically, personally and architecturally. The lower floors hold spaces rooted in routine and functionality — everyday living zones, guest suites and a quiet pooja room — while the upper levels lean into the idea of retreating. “The heart of the home is the third floor,” shares Prachiti, “featuring a spacious living area, a thoughtfully designed deck, and a stunning green extension that serves as an outdoor retreat.” A floor below, an art studio basks in morning light, offering the homeowners a space to paint, undisturbed.

Threading it all together is the staircase — a connector, but also a sculptural gesture in fluted marble detail. It invites movement into the home, linking each floor while maintaining their individuality.

First Floor: Furniture by Excella Experts and furnishings by Daffodils - The Furnishing Gallery adorn the son’s bedroom; Photography by Prashant Bhatt

ONE MATERIAL, MANY FINISHES

For a home that spans four floors, Grand Chateau resists the urge to dazzle with variety by leaning into the idea of repetition done differently. A restrained material palette of marble, stone, wood, glass and metal appears throughout, but rarely in the same form. Marble is polished in one space, fluted in another. Stone shifts in tone and texture as you move. Wood, though, is the true shapeshifter — raw and expansive in one room, elsewhere carved, charred, or gilded depending on the mood.

The furniture follows suit. A foyer console pairs high-shine gold with a surface that mimics veined stone. Chairs are all upholstered, but never in the same fabric — velvet, boucle, leather and knit. The result? A home where every surface echoes the last but speaks in a slightly different accent.

First Floor: A Bang & Olufsen speaker stands tall in the living area; Photography by Prashant Bhat

DIRECT WITH DESIGN

What truly anchors the home, though, is how every space is framed. Almost every space is bordered, contained or punctuated by an aperture that sets it apart without entirely isolating it. Wood, stone, curves and even foliage are used not just as materials, but as markers: a wooden border outlines a hallway, directing your gaze before it releases it. An arched opening slows your entry into the foyer, turning arrival into an experience. Outdoor decks, wrapped in stone and greenery, feel intentionally held. And in the bar, a full-height mirror subtly pulls your view past the present, softening the density of the room.

These moments of framing aren’t just aesthetic — they shape the experience of the home. They create intimacy without enclosure and keep the home from ever feeling too much. Instead, they allow the space to unfold deliberately, like scenes in a film — each one framed, each one intentional.