This project in Juhu, for a three-generational family, called for a complete revamp of an inadequately used ground floor and the lawns of a bungalow. The space was rejuvenated into an easy, comfy lounge-dining area, opening into a refreshing outdoor space, creating a true urban oasis. The challenge lay in re-routing and rezoning, right from the entrance to the end, to extract the full potential of the spaces and corners, without dismantling too much, all while keeping in mind the client’s sentimental attachment to the existing furniture, nooks, and plants in the space.

The bar & dining room was scooped out from a redundant room. The old teak sliding doors were repurposed to replace the small casement windows. The versatile, patterned walnut flooring and seamless marble counter, against the smoked oak cabinet provide a strong backbone to the space. A multi-colored, mustard-toned marble dining table with cane-backed chairs, is placed in the centre of the space, topped with a cluster of intricate gold mesh chandeliers.

The lengthy edge of the lounge is fitted with large paned glass windows that blur the edge between the inside and the outdoors. The windows, when opened, allow for heaps of cross ventilation which keeps the space fresh and comfortable. This edge itself, serves as a space for solitude but transforms into a social space when put together with the lounge area. An easy and elegant lounge space, designed with a huge sofa seating around the carpet-like, fading layered marble inlay, looks towards a large screen. The old wooden door frames were repurposed into phallic-shaped coffee tables. The dusky grey walls hold the room together.

The underutilised barren lawns around the bungalow were brought to life by planting shade-loving plants, a bamboo-frangipani-bougainvillaea screen, and a philodendron-fern-filled green canopy. Many old plants were replanted along with new ones to create this private botanical garden that filters sunlight perfectly, creating a well-shaded outdoor space.

The main entryway to the lounge was rerouted with statuary marble and a Burma teak door having brass details, hiding the lawn with a tall, dense foliage of bamboo. It opened into a verandah with teak wood rafters on the ceiling, decked with cane lights and a swing at the end.

The entrance to the house was given an upliftment, conceptualised as a black trough holding the space. The old brick pattern tiles and white marble flooring were removed carefully and upcycled to create shapes for the new flooring. A Moroccan patterned carpet using black granite and white marble octagons was laid on the floor. The black skirting demarcated the ground and the plinth, accentuating the white mosaic walls, further enhancing the space with art deco wall lights.