MODERN MINIMAL MAGICAL
This apartment in Bangalore is layered with beautiful accents, fine detail, warm colour tones, a fantastic view, and well curated artworks
They say design feels effortless when you connect with your client. Couldn’t be truer than in this transformation we did. Pavitra Shankar is an executive director for one of the largest real estate firms, mother to two adorable boys and someone who I met when I had just moved back to India after living in the US.
When she reached out to me last year to explore a transformation for her larger living spaces, I was excited. Our design styles matched instantly— we shared a love for clean simple lines and the mid-century modern aesthetic. Her only brief was she wanted it to be warm, cosy and inviting, and at the same time she wanted to reimagine the space entirely.
The site itself was challenging. It was a single long space that had to be multifunctional with each area feeling connected to the other while having its distinct personality. So, we broke down all the visual barriers and created one clean open space now unified with a hint of warm grey paint. The apartment also has a beautiful view of the quintessential Bangalore green. It only made sense to have a massive picture window to maximise the view and let natural light in. This wasn’t an easy change with the apartment being on the 8th floor.
Since the home opened directly into the living room there was no defined entryway. We kept the existing grid frame board and batten wall, painted it a soft grey and added
a beautiful custom oversized cane and white cabinet that functions as storage for entryway essentials. An oversized mirror hung off centre visually rests the entryway closer to the main door and brings in a modern casual feel. To the left of the entryway sits a small bar nook. We added a chair and a rug here to define the space along with beautiful watercolour art by Hiren Patel.
The living room itself is simple but layered with beautiful accents and details. A classic midcentury sofa set against a black and white rug and olive chairs make for the main seating. A beautiful kilim upholstered bench visually divides the living from the. A forged brass console divides the living from the dining.
To the right of the living room is the family room and we anchored it with a deep olive wall. In a very long area, it does a great job of pulling in the spaces visually and creating an integrated colour story from the living to the family lounge.
This area has a comfortable custom sectional couch and ottoman for TV viewing and family photos framing the wall behind. A beautifully detailed Gurudas Shenoy artwork brings in vibrancy and colour into this space.
As we walk further into the apartment to the left of the living area is the dining. The dining had an accent wall and a large built in wood cabinet. We added simple textural grass cloth wallpaper to the far end of the dining space to bring depth and texture. A large mid-century inspired branch pendant sits atop the dining. On the far end the buffet table sits below an abstract art by Shivani Dugar and adds just the right amount of colour. Adjoining the dining is the beautiful open terrace.
I truly love how this home came together. Often we work on new homes, but to work on an existing home which has been lived in and has outgrown the needs of its home owners was a challenge. To reimagine a space in entirety and make those changes come alive has been fulfilling.