An interior designer's earthy Indian apartment in Mumbai

Indian at heart, this contemporary residence designed by Chaitali Parikh-Mehta and Sejal Parikh of Inscape Designers is a subtle mix of art and collectibles

We are always intrigued to know how interior designers live. Are their homes these super stylish cocoons or avant-garde museum-like spaces, or do they live like the rest of us? So, when we got the opportunity to cover interior designer Sejal Parikh’s 2,000 sq ft apartment in Mumbai, we were thrilled.

Located in a leafy bylane of Mumbai, it is housed in a building that once was a school – Located in a leafy bylane of Mumbai, the apartment is housed in a building that was once a school. A teakwood staircase leads you to the second floor home that she shares with her husband, Deepak. The heavy wooden door opens to an expansive, double-height living room, which is divided into cosy settings. A bright magenta wall with beads forms the backdrop to a comfy sit out with pebbled flooring. Bright, kitschy cushions with a generous dose of potted plants gives it a very terrace-like feel.

At the far end on the left, an iron sculpture by Arzan Khambatta stands tall next to a distressed wood cupboard. Light filters in through the chick blinds casting a warm glow across the space. The duct window in the dining area on the right was closed to create a niche for a Satish Gujral-inspired bas-relief. “It’s my favourite part of the house,” says Sejal, “we recycled old wood and tiles for this mural.”

The master bedroom is warm and earthy in tones of brown. The wardrobe shutters are directly hand painted in oil paint and finished off with melamine to give a distressed wood finish. It’s an artwork on its own.

The home is a reflection of their travels, love for art and a deep rootedness to culture, seen in the use of traditional craftsmanship around the house.