Living at an address like Lodha Seamont at Malabar Hill does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to luxury homes. But when does opulence ever stop at just enough? To have a home designed by a boutique interiors studio at an address every single person in your city will covet? Now that’s starting to sound like true luxury.

Kunal and Khushboo Khandelwal, founders of Studio Design Inc., were commissioned to create a perfect family abode at Lodha Seamont. On being asked about their inspirations and vision for this luxury house, they mentioned that they didn’t want to do much to change the soul of the space. Maximising the 3-sides of sea-views offered by the apartment and using natural light to fill the space up and make it feel like a warm home, those were the priorities.

Their primary source of inspiration was the client’s personality. A spiritual folk, with a positive disposition, they wanted their home to reflect these aspects of their personality, so that it feels like an extension of themselves. As a growing family, they also wanted the space to be adaptable to new family members in the future. To be welcoming, and filled with natural light, air, and exuding warmth - those became the focal points of the designing process. And the client’s predisposition for elements from nature was a major source of inspiration during the styling and procurement phases.

In the field of luxury real estate designed for a large family, the demarcation of spaces becomes a tricky aspect. With the blurry lines of relationships, even spaces meld and merge into one another. To make this separation a bit easier, the designers used the concept of zoning. From the vestibule, inlay patterns were laid in the floor, which indicate the common areas versus the private spaces. It’s almost a directional line drawn on the floor to subconsciously guide a person.

The colour palette for this quality home is derived from two trains of thought - one, that the majority theme for the space should be a neutral colour, so each member can build their own colour palette, in their own space, on top of it. Oak veneer and black ash was used to achieve this effect. White and its various shades become an obvious choice to fill in the gaps in each and every room. And two, given the family’s affection for nature, green and its various tints were also frequently used as accents, along with ample natural light, ventilation, and warmth.

They say, when a door closes, a window opens. In the case of this home, a simple colour palette may have limited the designers’ vision, but it opened up a world of another architectural treasure trove - textures. Fluted marble on some surfaces, polished on others, different treatments of marble, and different textures on it created a rhythm that connects different spaces in the house to one another, while establishing a tonal similarity.

The styling for this home was kept minimal because the designer duo wanted the space and its natural contours to stand out. To keep the home decluttered and open, the styling had to follow on the similar themes of minimalism. Plants in various sizes and forms have been used as accent pieces throughout the house to echo the colour palette and natural theme. The use of interesting candle stands, cultural & traditional books, and niche ceramic objects formed the basis of the styling for this project.

On being quizzed about their favourite places in the home they’ve created and why, Kunal Khandelwal highlights our Lodha construction and its living room with an open, inviting layout. Another favourite of his is the son’s bedroom which is a standout from the rest of the home - with its dark tone and interesting materiality used on the headboard. Of course, the way it overlooks Banganga Tank, an ancient reminder of Mumbai’s cultural past, is an obvious reason.

Khushboo Khandelwal beautifully captures the ethos of this space - this home has an ability to be quiet, yet stunning. Minimal, yet dramatic. Inviting, yet very personal. That’s what makes this space truly spectacular.