Olives, bordeaux and the Bombay sun

In a Juhu triplex by RC Design Studio, Bombay’s natural light is tempered through layered materials and an open plan

22 May 2026

Briny olives, a deep Bordeaux and the kind of balmy sunlight that makes evenings stretch a little longer — a triplex in Mumbai by RC Design Studio has all the makings of a long aperitif hour. The home unfolds gradually through bright, open shared spaces downstairs and moodier, more intimate rooms above, all tied together by pale Lhasa White marble flooring and warm oak details.

Planned while the building was still taking shape, the space was carefully shaped around movement, natural light and the rhythm of everyday living by Roozmehr Bardolivala and Cherag Bardolivala, partners at RC Design Studio. The design prioritises movement and continuity from the very onset, allowing it to feel easy, social and cohesive despite its scale.

“We treated light like the lead material, everything else was chosen to hold it, soften it, and reflect it”

Roozmehr and Cherag

Living area with a customised RC Design Studio sofa featuring a sculptural mountain-like arm detail, paired with an armchair and a centre table by Sunday on a rug; Styled by Meetu Swani; Photography by Yadnyesh Joshi

Space shifting

For a home spread across three levels, its most striking trait is how uninterrupted everything feels. Roozmehr and Cherag’s focus while designing the space was on architecture and movement, particularly how the family would move through the long, linear floor plate without the home becoming fragmented by corridors or leftover transitional spaces. That clarity is felt most strongly across the main living floor which flows through the guest room, living area, dining space, temple and kitchen as one continuous volume. Yet it never slips into the kind of openness that can feel visually exhausting over time.

It’s a restrained approach to openness. Concealed pocket doors appear only when needed, sliding out seamlessly from hidden cavities to create privacy without interrupting the larger sense of calm. Even the television disappears behind wallpaper-clad shutters when not in use, allowing the shared spaces to feel warm, social and visually quiet rather than overly programmed. Much of this ease comes from decisions made early in the process, the team worked closely with the family on zoning, circulation and staircase placement, ensuring the long floor plate remained fluid. “The staircase is one of the most distinctive elements of the home. Rather than designing an elaborate, winding stairwell, we treated it as a crucial spatial moment and crafted a compact yet comfortable stair block in warm oak,” explains the duo.

Styled by Meetu Swani; Photography by Yadnyesh Joshi

Home theatre with a sooty brown feature wall layered with black-and-white works by artist Vipta Kapadia (Rhythm Art), and an in-wall marble pillar, the seating begins by the window with soft white curtains, a customised RC Design Studio wooden sofa with grey upholstery and blue cushions, facing a coffee table styled with sculptural artefacts and a Kapoor Lamp side table light; Styled by Meetu Swani; Photography by Yadnyesh Joshi

Daylight Saving

“We treated light like the lead material, everything else was chosen to hold it, soften it, and reflect it,” share Roozmehr and Cherag. Olive runs vertically along the staircase wall before reappearing in matte velvet dining chairs, kitchen shutters and geometric floor tiles, creating small interruptions within the otherwise restrained shared spaces. Matte velvet, distressed stone, glazed ceramic, jute and timber each handle brightness differently across the home, allowing rooms to shift in tone without breaking the calm of the larger palette.

That shift becomes more pronounced in the private rooms, with each room taking on its own tonal character. The master bedroom pairs distressed gray Indian stone with a soft powder blue backdrop, giving the space a cooler, steadier rhythm suited to the senior couple. In the son’s suite, the palette deepens into Bordeaux tones and more fluid forms, introducing a denser register within the home’s otherwise airy shell.

The daughter’s room takes cues from her inclination towards nature, pairing olive tones with timber flooring and jute-textured walls that soften both light and surface across the space. Some of the richest material moments are tucked into smaller pockets of the home. Near the theatre, deep blue glazed ceramic tiles wrap the powder room walls above a black-and-white wave-patterned floor, catching and reflecting light far more sharply than the matte finishes used elsewhere. Upstairs, the study and den shift into terracotta walls, walnut veneer and timber fluting, allowing the topmost level to feel warmer, darker and more cocooned by evening.