Self reflections

If the space could be described only on the basis of first impressions, I’d say it is a sense-tingling journey of his life so far. Colours at the core of it. What in fact makes Ramnathkar an artist of his own league is that he designed, curated and pieced this whole puzzle by himself. A feat achieved during the lockdown in moodboarding and assembling ideas to life. “My previous home in Prabhadevi — a stone’s throw away from Lower Parel — was also designed entirely by me.”

Originally a four-bedroom layout, the apartment now harbours three bedrooms, a media room, a living room with a shared dining corner, a kitchen, a breezy deck, en-suite bathrooms and a powder bathroom— composed for his wife, a son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. His inspiration? “I research and glimpse through magazines and Instagram. Then I ask myself, should I not do something that no one has seen before?” So he chooses to trust his instincts and intel. While also layering the existing canvas with a troupe of unique materials and texture play. Colloquially referred to as “Ramu” by his circle, Ramnathkar was in his early teenage years when he first came to Mumbai from his birthplace in Belgaum to pursue studies at Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, one of the oldest institutions in the country for fine arts. A happenstance of sorts that decided the course of his life ahead, “When I was about 12 or 13 years old, it was my relative, also an artist, who suggested that I study at J.J. School of Art and move to Mumbai after seeing my drawings.” And the rest is history. The home is deliberately planned such in its experience that a sense of rooted familiarity lives on through its rooms and sections despite its anomalous eccentricity.

Talk about its appearance? “I want to surprise everyone who first sees this home. I want them to feel my presence and the existence of my aesthetics yet be surprised at the outcome.” The thing with designing your own house is that you are not bound by anything. Which ironically is also a challenge. “When you are your own client, it could be difficult to please yourself. Because every morning you get up and spot something different. So every day it’s the birth of a new idea that you’d want to try.”

“I ask myself, should I not do something that no one has seen before?”— Bhupal Ramnathkar

A rested inspection of the home brings forth some interesting facets. One being the bespoke chandelier pinned above the dining table, dotted with motifs of tiny birds all over. “It was something I had drawn first. After discussions with product designer Shailesh Rajput, he created this lighting for the home.” Then of course is Ramnathkar’s life-like statue decked with a phone in the hand, which stands in the living room. “Since the camera has become a critical part of mobile phones, I keep shooting my reflection. I have about six thousand images of mine in the gallery. And that’s how the idea of this statue came to life.”

With the soul of an experimentalist and an affinity for technology, Ramnathkar’s early years were nurtured by his stints at advertising giants like Enterprise Advertising, Leo Burnett, DDB Mudra and a few years in Dubai, after which he founded Umbrella Design in 2000, an expression of his savvy insights built over the years. He is especially excited to curate his third edition of the Reflections exhibition, which recently enjoyed fanfare at Snowball Studios. He recalls, “Early in my life, I wanted to pursue photography, but it was a very expensive business. So I said, let me do the illustration because the camera costed 3,800 rupees and a pencil was just 25 paisa. Now I want to focus on being a fine artist.” Like many instances in our real life, this home defies the logic of the ordinary. “My approach to designing is different since I’ve not studied interior design. While others have a methodical way of doing things, there is no logic to my process.” Thus strokes of pink, blue and gold reign supreme here, emanating the innate warmth of its homeowner, without overshadowing each other. And what comes next from Ramnathkar’s hat of ingenuity will be a story for another time.