Art of hosting in a Mumbai home

Insitu Design Studio gives this family reasons to celebrate art

30 Dec 2025

For a couple happiest amid a full house — guests deep in chatter, clinking glasses and revelling in music — a predictable apartment was never going to suffice. They wanted spaces that spark conversation and a home where traditional Indian motifs aren’t mere accents but carry the power to spark conversations. Enter Sahiba Madan, Principal Architect at Insitu Design Studio, who was entrusted to reimagine the family’s three-bedroom apartment in Mumbai as something warmer, expressive and personal. Three traits that promise colours, character and its longevity to a home.

Depth and design unfold in this apartment nestled in Oberoi Sky City, but the highlight of the home is not only about the motifs on the walls and furniture, but also about the details on the floor. The home tells its stories even through stepped-on floors illuminated by natural light and old-world accents.

“The design balances heritage with ease, using texture, colour and craftsmanship to create a warm, inviting atmosphere”

Sahiba Madan

CARVED BY WARMTH

If craft shapes cities, can a home make it personal? In this three-bedroom apartment, that concept gets justified as Sahiba glorifies, “a timeless feel that celebrates Indian craftsmanship while fitting seamlessly into modern life.”

The home exudes a traditional style through chiselled teak doorways, tiled floors and a handwoven rug by Jaipur Rugs that pools warmth underfoot. Marble floors are polished with cement inlaid floor patterns that make one look twice. The master bedroom is warmed with wooden floors, while the use of neutral walls, with cornices and POP mouldings, makes the room exquisite without trying.

PATTERNED LORE/ LORE OF PATTERNS

The initial impression of this artistic sanctuary is made in the kitchen with teal-green cabinets and floral-patterned walls blossoming like spring. The mandir also has a jaali through which light passes softly in boxy floral designs, a reminder that faith can also be put into artistic perspective. Step into the living room and contrast plays its favourite game: chairs with bird motifs perch playfully against a beige couch, while paintings and sculptures stand like quiet thinkers.

There is a tall bookshelf, which runs up to the sky with a ladder, adding a simple yet modern touch. The dining room embraces a deep red stucco-finished crockery unit and chairs, a pop against the white ceilings and marble floors. Through sheer curtains and large windows, the home beams with natural light all day long and brass pendants and stained-glass panels transform a passage into poetry.

PAINTED EMOTIONS

The daughter’s bedroom was the sweetest victory in the project. Framing childhood memories and writing letters to the future self, this room is full of personality. Blush palette covers the area while vines and birds found in the Kalakaari Haath wallpaper jump onto the bedding, canopy and marble inlays beneath. Paintings by Jaya Charan also give a decorous touch.

Though designing this house felt like bringing all forms of art together, there were challenges. Expanding a compact space visually and marrying tradition with modernity became the core challenge. But beauty demanded balance, and it was necessary that every detail could evolve beautifully when craft, comfort and emotion coexist.