A Mumbai flat with a dramatic vision board and generous sea views

Did you custom-make any pieces?
RS: There are the brass bedside tables cantilevered off the walls, the four circular tables in the living room, the screen made with natural blue sodalite stone, among others. The screen was an important factor in offering a degree of privacy to the living-dining area, since the front door opens into it. The screen also blocks the kitchen and utility areas from sight and can be dismantled to allow for the moving of the large appliances.

How much of a role does art play in your process, given the way that it interacts with the design that makes it seem almost organically tied into the aesthetic?  
RS: I have lived with art for so long now that it is unthinkable for me to not have it as an integral interior element. It isn’t a conscious thought; rather, it’s inextricable to the process. Now clients too have come to expect advice on art, its selection and placement when they come to me to do their homes. For this apartment, though the couple was accustomed to more traditional, figurative and narrative paintings, we went with more abstract works that related well with the overall look of the place and the design we had put together.

What kind of advice do you give clients on art matters?
RS: While selecting works, I never impose my sensibility on a client. I have conversations with them about artworks and artists, and take my cues from these discussions to narrow down the selection they would enjoy in their spaces. The one thing I do tell clients is to not look at art as an investment; it should be acquired for its own merit.

You also shouldn’t immediately start thinking about where to place it (unless it’s a large work); if it was compelling enough for you to buy, it will find a spot in your house. Ultimately, it is all about making connections—between the painting and the space, between the painting and what’s happening around it in the space, between the inside and the outside, between the narrative of different works. 

Designing is such an organic, internal process, as is its evolution, but is there anything about your approach that you felt has changed noticeably?
RS: I want design to be less fussy, more refined, definitely more restrained—I want simple. But that doesn’t mean that the detailing has become any lesser. In fact, it has increased. Often, ‘simple’ requires more detail than a loud design. It is often more complicated to achieve, more challenging to perfectly execute, because everything—the materials, the way you use them—it all matters more.