A contemporary apartment in South Mumbai

N+S Partners was tasked with redoing the interiors of a South Mumbai apartment belonging to a family of four.

“When we first stepped inside the apartment, we realised that we would need to replan the entire space,” says Shruti Jalan, one half of the two principal designers at N+S Architects. Shruti and her partner, fellow designer Neesha Alwani run the firm together. Lighting was the first issue they tackled. “There wasn’t much light in the apartment. The windows were quite high, so we brought them down,” she explains. A running wooden balcony covers the apartment from all sides.

With their children studying abroad, the home owners lived alone. The designers suggested converting the three bedroom apartment into a two bedroom one.

The master bedroom which had originally been quite tiny, was converted into a dining area, adjacent to the hall, which opened up that space.

The theme within the apartment was kept to contemporary clean lines with Art Deco detailing. The homeowners had amassed a lot of collectible glassware and clocks but had not been able to showcase all the pieces properly. The duo helped balance the accent pieces in the hall. A treasure ship made of glass is the main centerpiece of the display shelf. They created storage space behind the couch in the form of an Art Deco detailed storage unit, with the suggestion that the home owners rotate the décor pieces from time to time.

All the furniture was customised in the apartment, including the cabinet behind the dining table which opens out into a bar counter. In the living room, a classic style beige sofa has been paired with a gilt seating bench and a Bell side table. The wooden furniture throughout the house was given understated brass details.

Given the lack of natural light in the kitchen, the designers decided to use a simple white palette to give the space a light, airy feel. Marble flooring and white wooden panels for the cabinet helped achieve this result. 

For any interior designer, the before and after pictures of an interior project is the best validation of a job well done and this South Mumbai apartment is no exception. The partners say their biggest joy came from the fact that their clients now have an ocean view, which is something they did not have before the redesign. Nothing quite like a happy client, we think.