This fashion designer's three

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

A pared, organic material palette and a complementarily muted colour scheme highlight the spatiality of this chic 1,300 sq ft three-bedroom space, with an en-suite each, a compact kitchen and a balcony. This largely handcrafted apartment in Mumbai, affectionately coined the Embroidered Home, sits in a modern multi-tower high-rise community in the residential suburb of Goregaon in Mumbai and belongs to fashion designer Yogita Kadam, who lives here with her son. It took less than a year to fall into place under the hands of Saniya Kantawala, founder and principal designer of Saniya Kantawala Design (SKD).

The living area with its gently curved sofa adds to the curvilinear conversational space. The attractive dome light in the living room is from Harshita Jhamtani Design. Fabric for all the curtains of this home are from Kings. While the decorative lights are from Cotton & Satins, the architectural lights are from Deepam Lights. Ankit Gupta from Design Decor & Solutions has fulfilled all the paint and polishing work.

The primary focus of this space is the embroidery from the studio of Kadam, who wanted her home to reflect her aesthetic sensibilities, priorities and love for natural material, especially rattan and cane.

Team SKD, assisted by Reeya Rathod from the core design team, fell into place quite organically for Kadam, as they had designed her boutique in the past and completed a few residential spaces for her family members too. “My home pays homage to the art of embroidery and unfolds like a graceful weave, handcrafted with love, warmth and emotion,” smiles Kadam. “I wanted a serene, cozy space in earthy tones and I see that everywhere, especially in my bedroom, which is a reflection of my personality and is furnished by an earthy material spectrum and hints of sage," she adds.

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A breakfast counter with ethnic motif tiles from Bharat Flooring and flexible sliding doors demarcate the neat modular kitchen, designed by Kitchen Studio. The lights over the counter are by Harshita Jhamtani Design and made from leftover cane on site. The counter also features light handcrafted embroidered fabric that the homeowner's artisans have customized.

The living area is complete with a custom-made arched mirror and a rattan temple next to the TV. All the loose furniture of this home has been made by a standalone carpenter and has been upholstered with fabric from The Pure Concept. Leftover cane and other material from the site have been used to craft lights and accents everywhere. \

The home opens into a narrow corridor, fitted with soft, graceful elements - like rattan lamps, custom-made textile wall hangings and floral motifs. It leads straight into a refreshingly open plan living and dining area that has a flexible shutter to a modular kitchen. The breakfast table and kitchen counter feature embroidered artwork from Kadam’s studio along with ethnic motif tiles while all the furniture and accents are curvilinear to create a leisurely conversational space. A custom-made rattan temple and arched mirror provide continuity to the design narrative.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Rashmi Haralalka

MDF-clad thick lime plaster forms the base of the sturdy teak dining table and complements the grey concrete tiles. Instead of cushioned arms, the dining chairs feature removable embroidered tie-covers from homeowner Yogita Kadam who also designed an embroidered artwork framed in teak for the ceiling. The floral mural artwork on the wall is by Zahabiya Gabajiwala (ZA Work Design).

A teak dining table offsets grey concrete tiles, flanked by hand embroidered chair arms, a floral wall mural by Zahabiya Gabajiwala and an embroidered artwork framed in teak on the ceiling. The arcuate theme spills into the corridor that leads to the bedrooms, where rectangular doors give way to arched ones. Interestingly, much of the leftover cane, rattan and other material from site was salvaged to craft various lights and accents, most prominently the lamps by Harshita Jhamtani Designs made from scrap rattan.

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The master bedroom is dotted with pockets of embroidered and handcrafted accents. Instead of paint, wallpaper from The Pure Concept has been used on cabinet doors and walls behind the bed. A rattan headboard by Wicker Story was customized and installed onsite. The wooden flooring is from JD Wall Coverings and Floor.\

The guest bedroom features an earthy palette with a custom-made wardrobe in a natural wood finish and a pure teak side table. A rich blue lamp from Cotton & Satins and an open book with an exciting quote flank the bed. The headboard features an ethnic print fabric from the homeowner's boutique. The patterned wooden flooring is parquet interwoven in playful pattern.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Aditi Shah-Bhimjyani

By Rashmi Haralalka

Embroidery, texture and form has sculpted the selection of art and furniture in this home, with rattan touches woven into the design scheme. Like the master bedroom, fitted with a mirror of woven beads and a customized rattan headboard by The Wicker Story. Or the guest bedroom, with its custom wardrobe in a natural wood finish, an ethnic print headboard and a side table made of pure teak that sets the tone. Whether it’s the patterned parquet wooden flooring of one bedroom or the geometric terrazzo pattern of another, it is the use of schematic material, personalized touches and an elegant colour palette that enliven this home.

The son’s bedroom has an eclectic vibe with customized terrazzo flooring in geometrical patterns that extends up to the walls. Instead of wainscoting, strips with terrazzo create visual interest and break the monotony of patters. Neutral whites and muted hues offset the energetic blues.

With a somewhat restricted square footage to play around with, Kantawala’s effort for this apartment in Mumbai was concentrated on creating a sense of expanse and keeping the spaces balanced via form, texture and light. “The focus has largely been on planning an efficient layout with generous internal volumes and connecting the common areas without architectural barriers,” explains Kantawala.

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