An ode to twilight in Versova

Moody tides and shifting light define every corner of this Versova home by Studio TASO

01 Oct 2026

In the blue hour, the fleeting interstice between sunset and nightfall, when the Arabian Sea settles into deeper blues and the day begins to soften, Studio TASO finds its idea of a home by the sea. Designed for a homeowner returning to a home with his mother, this 600 sq ft apartment in Versova trades the sea’s usual spectacle for cocooning.

Earthy tones and tactile textures layer across a compact footprint. Warmth here isn’t immediate; it reveals itself gradually as daylight grazes dark stained timber, linen upholstery, fluted glass and textured artwork. The brief began with the owner’s return, not a blank slate. The owner had once lived in this very apartment, and now it had to be reimagined to hold two lives, his and his mother’s, designing a space that feels equal parts comforting and restorative.

“The primary challenge, however, lay in executing this inward-looking, dark palette within a compact footprint,” say Sohan Kadam and Tanvi Joshi, principal architects of Studio TASO. Enveloping a space in moody tones makes lighting paramount, and the pair were meticulous about how natural and artificial light met each surface, so the apartment remains curated, not drowned in enclosure.

‘We wanted to capture the mood of the Arabian Sea's inky waters at twilight. This poetic concept set a deliberately dark, atmospheric hue for the entire home'

Sohan Kadam and Tanvi Joshi

A rattan pendant hangs over the custom-made dining table while bamboo blinds filter the window light onto woven-seat chairs from OrangeTree; Photography by Studio Abhishek Sawant

Art of Cocooning

The elusive mood of the sea at twilight makes it into every space. In the living room, a dark stained wood artwork anchors the space. A dark stool echoes it; shadowed further by a black carpet, the room takes on an introspective character. The depth is lifted by the pale linen upholstery of the sofa. The palette remains earthy, knitting dark and light tones together with notes of olive green that offer visual reprieve. The artwork is left deliberately solid, without pattern, so texture alone carries the weight. Solid coloured accents dot the space to add playfulness to the moody retreat. The palette refuses to settle into a single mood. Morning light softens its dark edges, while evening lets the shadows draw the moody character back to the room, making the same interiors feel different by the hour.

The backlit bedroom is rendered in olive green. The custom textured artwork echoes the imprint of the sea on sand, crafted as though it emerged from the landscape beyond. Behind the bed, a tiled headboard is washed in inky blue, its glossy surface mirrored again by the glow of the bedside lamp. A duet of neutrals and deep blue plays out across the space. The shelving, bedside table and accents stay faithful to the same material language, all rendered in wood.

Warm wood cabinetry and fluted glass shutters sit against a dark backsplash; Photography by Studio Abhishek Sawant

Olive bedding from meets a dark, tiled wall; Photography by Studio Abhishek Sawant

The Inner Tide

The open kitchen keeps the compact space sociable. A black counter avoids feeling heavy thanks to fluted glass and wood cabinetry, paired with sleek breakfast stools. That same warmth extends into the seating throughout, carving out the home’s best spots for unhurried conversation. The study continues the pairing, penning its own love letter between dark and light, with a cage-style table lamp casting a soft glow, a wooden frame set against a black wall-art piece detailed in white.

The dining area shares its footprint with the living room, keeping the home as open as possible while still making room for cosy corners, like a built-in window seat made for curling up with a good book. A Dracaena Coloroma towers across the room, drawing the eye upward and balancing the space, while sleek dining chairs keep the room from feeling weighted down. The space is tuned so that light meets its surrounding textures exactly where it should, and somewhere around that calibration, blue hour lingers on.

A wooden desk sits within a timber frame while a woven-seat chair tucks beneath it, with a caged lamp glowing beside a bird artwork; Photography by Studio Abhishek Sawant